The more prescriptive a solution, the easier it is to sell.

Thinking is exhausting, so simpler, pre-cooked solutions are usually easier to digest. The problem often comes when you discover they have essential flaws and do not fit your context well.

So…is there a way to design flexibility in a prescriptive (more sellable) solution to get the best of both worlds, or are these mutually exclusive by nature?

This was the core of a discussion I held with Edo Van Royen on Twitter a few weeks ago.

Our conclusion?

They are opposite ends over the same scale. We can say that the more prescriptive a solution, the less flexible it is, but also the more marketable it is —and vice-versa.

Prescriptive solutions tend to sell better, but they also break more easily upon changes in the environment they operate in.

Want to take a look at our discussion? Here is my answer to his first tweet. And here is my reply to his second one.