Are you still baking half-assed cookies?

I’m on the verge of a baking triumph.

This isn’t saying much since I don’t bake very often.

And when I do, the kitchen is chaotic and stressful.

Yet here they are, uniform blobs of mixed flour, creamy butter, sweet sugar, and a generous helping of chocolate chips—classic Toll House cookies.

Into the oven, they go and I wait. Ah! That familiar smell!

The first batch has cooled enough to take that first bite. I do. But my taste buds are confused. 

The cookies, while sweet, are missing something fundamental. Think of melody without the rhythm.

It dawns on me—no SALT!

Missing that tiny detail, the cookies lose their essence. They’re edible and quite okay, but they don’t resonate.

Salt, though often unnoticed, harmonizes the flavors. 

Tiny details make big impacts. Often make-or-break impacts.

It’s the same with product design.

To ensure a successful product, I’ve come to rely on the three time-tested lenses of Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability (I’ll explain these later). 

However, like my cookies without the salt, I have it only partly right. I’m missing a fourth lens: Responsibility.

Responsibility isn’t just a lens; it’s a linchpin.

In today’s world, success is more than just market share. It’s about being ethically aware and sustainably committed.

Sure, you can skip it, many still do. Regrettably.

But then you’re just baking my half-assed cookies—tempting, yet very unsatisfying.