What unrelated products or industries have shaped your product thinking?
I’ve noticed that some of the biggest product breakthroughs happen when teams look outside their own industry. For example, I’ve seen SaaS products borrow UX ideas from video games to improve user onboarding, or logistics companies apply lean manufacturing principles to streamline workflows.
But this raises a tricky challenge: how do you identify which unrelated industries hold practical insights without getting distracted? And once you find those ideas, how do you translate them effectively into your own product context without overcomplicating things?
I’d love to hear from product builders who have intentionally looked outside their direct competitors
What specific problems were you trying to solve by exploring other industries?
Which unrelated product or industry inspired a change in your product strategy or design?
How did you test and adapt those ideas to fit your users’ needs without losing focus?
Did this approach help you move the needle on user engagement, retention, or efficiency?
Really curious to learn about real-world examples where this cross-industry thinking made a measurable impact.
Replies
Pokecut
Great question, Priyanka! In my experience, looking outside the immediate SaaS or tech space has been invaluable. For example, we drew inspiration from the hospitality industry—specifically how hotels focus intensely on customer experience and personalization—to rethink our onboarding flow. We aimed to make users feel “welcomed” and guided rather than just thrown into a product tour.
The specific problem we wanted to solve was low trial-to-paid conversion rates, which we suspected was partly due to users feeling lost or overwhelmed early on. Borrowing hospitality principles, we introduced more personalized check-ins and contextual tips, much like a concierge anticipating guest needs.
To adapt these ideas without overcomplicating things, we ran A/B tests with a small user segment and collected qualitative feedback through interviews. This helped us fine-tune messaging and timing to ensure it resonated without adding friction.
The result was a noticeable uplift in engagement and a 15% increase in conversion, showing that cross-industry inspiration can definitely move the needle when thoughtfully applied. Would love to hear how others have leveraged such insights!
Pokecut
Don’t go industry-hopping with a checklist; instead, start with the problem you want to solve and ask: “Who else wrestles with this in a totally different way?” Then translate—not transplant—that insight, and test mercilessly. Oh, and keep it fun! Sometimes the wildest ideas come from the most unexpected places, and that creative spark can be the difference between a product that’s just good and one that’s genuinely magnetic.