Digital products are really systems

When we use the word product, it forces us to think in terms of physical objects, because products want to be things. But digital products are not primarily made of things. They are made of interactions. It's useful to think of digital products as groups of systems. Systems that are used by people to interact with each other to achieve many results.

This is what makes great digital products so amazing, almost magical. It's also what makes them so hard to develop and manage. Interactive tools require us to ask the audience to engage in two-way communication. But when we think of products we think of one person using a tool to do something by themselves.

Digital products are systems that facilitate collaboration and interaction. They're not just software tools - they're platforms that enable people to work together, share information, and achieve collective goals that would be impossible for individuals working alone.

Understanding Systems Thinking

When you approach digital product development with a systems mindset, you start to see how all the pieces connect:

• User interfaces become conversation facilitators
• Data becomes shared memory
• Workflows become collaboration patterns
• Features become interaction possibilities

This shift in perspective changes everything about how you design, build, and improve your digital products.

Building for Interaction

Great digital products don't just solve problems - they create new possibilities for how people can work together to solve problems. They turn individual efforts into collective achievements.