The Curse of Knowledge

I once had a geometry teacher who was one of the most brilliant mathematicians I have ever met. The problem was, she couldn’t teach: Math came so easily to her that she could not understand why the rest of us just didn’t get it. The result was sheer frustration for everyone involved.

Unfortunately, that experience hasn’t been limited to high school. Many of us have seen products — even entire companies — fail because customers didn’t understand or could not relate to what was being communicated. It is all too common for companies to talk in ways that make zero sense to people not deeply involved with its inner workings.

It’s not easy to remove ourselves from all that we know about our business. In their book, “Made to Stick,” authors Dan and Chip Heath call this the “Curse of Knowledge.” As they explain, it is hard to remember what it was like not to know something once we already know it. Our knowledge has “cursed” us. Once this happens, it becomes difficult for us to pass along what we know to others, because we can’t remember what it was like to walk in their shoes.

To combat this curse, we may need to water down information so that our customers understand it. Or we need to pick out bits and pieces that they might find more interesting. Perhaps they don’t care how the golf shirt will wick away moisture, they just want to know that it will keep them dry. They might not want to know in great detail what painstaking work went into making your fries trans-fat free; they just want to know they taste as good as before.

Though we have an intimate knowledge of our businesses, we may also need to rely on outsiders to give us a fresh perspective on what is important. Fortunately, I’ve never met a retailer whose customers didn’t love to give their opinion. McDonald’s used customer feedback to determine that the company may need a more “premium” sandwich to stay competitive, which led to the 2007 rollout of its Angus burger. From listening to customers, BMW introduced bigger cup holders in its 2007 Mini Cooper.

Some companies are giving customers the reins entirely, encouraging them to post comments about products. One look at customer reviews on Bath & Body Works’ recently launched website unveils shopper sentiments on everything from “intoxicating” scents to “miracle” eye creams; the marketing folks couldn’t have put it any better themselves.

Being aware of the “Curse of Knowledge” is the first step; finding ways to communicate in spite of it is the second. Although I still can’t comprehend the Pythagorean theorem, I did learn something from my geometry teacher. No matter how smart you are, you must “forget” at least some of what you know to help others understand. I’ll be tackling that homework for the rest of my life.