Does Your Product Pass the Steve Jobs' Bubble Test?

Two engineers walk into Steve Jobs' office one day and set something on his desk.

"Sir, we've got it. Here's the first version of the Apple iPod," says one of them.

"We made it as small as we could sir. The circuit board won't function correctly if we try to do much more," harps the other.

Jobs picks up the product and twirls it around.

The engineers, standing on shaky legs, await the verdict in silence.

Steve Jobs loved simplicity.

He was obsessed with it.

So he knew the iPod couldn't be big and clunky like its predecessor Walkman.

It had to be compact and sleek — something a child would understand how to use.

After a few minutes of studying the device, he springs from his desk and walks towards the fish tank in the corner of the room.

Still yet to utter a word, Jobs reaches into his pocket and pulls out the iPod.

Staring into the engineers' souls, he dangles their beloved above the marine exhibit and releases.

splash! bloop. bloop. bloop.

What would one day become the world's preferred listening device was now fish food.

The engineers are in shock.

Jobs looks at them and says one word: bubbles.

What the—why would he—?

"There's still space in there. Make it smaller. Get rid of the extra room. I don't want to see bubbles next time."

This is how we help ordinary people build extraordinary products.