The journey to market fit

In the past 2 years, we've witnessed an explosion of AI-powered applications, with generative AI (GenAI) leading the charge. Personally, I’ve become increasingly reliant on tools like Otter.ai for transcription and Beautiful.ai for crafting presentations in record time.

This rapid development of AI tools made me wonder: how are companies nailing down product-market fit and prioritizing features in such a fast-moving landscape?

Take Superhuman, for example. A year or so ago, I tested it out, looking for a more efficient way to manage email. At the time, I couldn’t justify paying nearly $30 a month for it, so I moved on. Recently, I revisited it, and I was blown away. What changed? Superhuman is no longer just about speeding up email—it’s transformed into something much more. Now, I can have full-fledged conversations within my inbox to figure out urgent tasks, get summaries of recent conversations, and even involve my team without forwarding or screenshotting emails. It feels magical ✨.

This shift got me thinking: how did the Superhuman team figure out what users truly needed and build around that? The answer lies in their focus and process of finding product-market fit, which Rahul Vohra , Superhuman’s founder & CEO, explains in detail in this article.

I could not stop reading this article and here are a few key takeaways on how to improve product-market fit:

1. Focus on those who love your product, and on those on the verge of loving it.
2. Analyze feedback from these groups and work to convert the "on the fence" users into loyal fans.
3. Be bold enough to politely disregard those who wouldn't miss your product if it disappeared. They're too far from loving it, and focusing on them will divert resources from those who matter.
4. Shape your roadmap based on what your fans love, while addressing concerns that are holding others back.
5. Repeat the process to constantly refine your product-market fit. Startups that achieve over 40% market fit are often on the path to success.

Rahul and his team at Superhuman also understood the power of AI, but they didn’t rush into it blindly. They focused on features that would help their core users. For instance, rather than having the AI preemptively respond to emails or create summaries, they prioritized on-demand tasks like "show me actions I need to take" or "give me a summary of this email." This approach keeps users in control, while laying the foundation for more advanced, preemptive features down the road.

The takeaway? AI is here to improve user experiences, but it’s crucial to focus on delighting the users who already fit your market, enhancing their workflows rather than simply piling on more AI features. In the end, it’s about delivering value, not complexity.