"They meet whatever half-formed idea they already associate with the category, and that idea ends up doing a lot more work than the product itself. Someone hears "AI tool for business" and immediately imagines Hollywood robots or their boss replacing half the team. Someone hears "blockchain platform," and their mind jumps to a chart going straight down. A buyer sees a proptech product and wonders whether it'll complicate an already stressful process."
"Emerging tech moves into that preloaded mental space, and it has to deal with whatever is waiting there. That's why companies building genuinely useful things often run into problems that have nothing to do with the quality of the work. The audience is already carrying a story in their heads, and that story becomes the ground the product lands on. If the ground is uneven, the landing feels off. People hesitate, they misinterpret what they're looking at or they file it away."
New technologies commonly encounter preconceived notions before users interact with the actual product. People replace direct experience with half-formed category ideas that set emotional expectations and guide interpretation. Those preloaded narratives frequently cause hesitation, misinterpretation, and misplaced categorization despite strong product design. Specific triggers include AI evoking fears of automation, blockchain recalling negative headlines, and proptech raising complexity concerns. Technology companies must use clear messaging and intentionally crafted narratives to address emotional tone and prior associations as much as they emphasize product features to secure understanding and adoption.
Read at Entrepreneur
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