In his latest book, Lizard Optimization: Unlock Product Growth by Engaging Long-Tail Users, Gojko Adzic presents a framework for identifying and harnessing the potential of long-tail user behavior. Much like his previous works, Gojko takes a fresh, often counter-intuitive approach to product management, making this book a must-read for anyone involved in creating and managing software products.
The core concept of Lizard Optimization is deceptively simple: instead of solely focusing on mainstream users, product teams should actively seek out unusual, “weird” user behavior. Businesses can uncover new product opportunities and unlock significant growth by understanding and optimizing for these outliers — the “lizards” in a long-tail distribution.
What struck me the most while reading this book was how Gojko draws inspiration from real-life examples of product pivots that emerged from unexpected user behaviors. One standout example was Flickr’s shift from a multiplayer game to a photo-sharing platform, driven by users’ unforeseen enthusiasm for sharing pictures. Rather than seeing such usage as anomalies, Gojko encourages us to treat these behaviors as opportunities for deepening product-market fit.
Key Takeaways
- Learn from Unintended Usage: Gojko emphasizes that product growth often lies in the outliers — those who use the product in ways the original designers never intended. Instead of dismissing these users, he suggests digging deeper into why they’re doing what they’re doing and how we can help them succeed. His method for analyzing these behaviors provides a systematic approach to discovering new opportunities.
- Zero In on Behavior Changes: Gojko introduces a four-step process — summarized with the mnemonic LZRD (Learn, Zero in, Remove, Detect) — to help teams optimize their products for outliers. This structured approach feels practical and accessible for teams of all sizes, offering actionable insights that can be applied immediately.
- Real-Life Application: Throughout the book, Gojko weaves stories from his experience with products like MindMup and Narakeet. He shares how optimizing for edge cases unlocked exponential growth, demonstrating that paying attention to “weird” user behavior can help find hidden markets and new opportunities.
A Strategic Shift for Product Teams
While many product strategies focus on pleasing most users, Lizard Optimization challenges teams to think differently. This book is precious for product managers, senior engineers, and anyone guiding product development. It offers a compelling argument for looking at usage data to confirm assumptions and discover new user goals that may have been overlooked.
This book stands out because of Gojko’s ability to turn something as serendipitous as a user’s “misuse” of a product into a deliberate growth strategy. It’s not just about preventing churn or reducing inefficiencies; it’s about actively engaging the long tail and treating unexpected user behavior as the key to exponential growth.
Final Thoughts
Lizard Optimization is an engaging, thought-provoking read that will make you question your current approach to product development. Gojko’s method of optimizing for long-tail users offers a practical and innovative toolkit for product managers looking to unlock the next wave of growth for their products. If you’re ready to embrace the weird, the unexpected, and the unplanned, this book is for you.
Learn More from Gojko on Le Podcast on Emerging Leadership
In March 2021, Gojko joined me on Le Podcast on Emerging Leadership for an episode titled Build a Product with Gojko Adzic. We explored his insights on building the perfect product, avoiding waste in software development, and how to apply concepts like Impact Mapping in day-to-day work. His unique approach to product strategy resonated with many listeners, and I frequently refer back to his thoughts from that conversation.
I’m thrilled to share that Gojko will return for a future episode of Le Podcast on Emerging Leadership, where we’ll dive deeper into the strategies behind Lizard Optimization and explore how product managers can unlock growth by engaging with outlier behaviors. Stay tuned for more!