Fathom2020
Forecasting is a communication problem
The team thought forecasting was a numbers problem. Research said it was a communication problem.
The situation
Building a financial forecasting product. The team assumed the challenge was making numbers easier to input and calculate.
The obvious move
Build a better spreadsheet. Faster inputs, better formulas, prettier charts.
What I did instead
Research revealed the real problem wasn't numbers. It was communication. Business owners needed to share projections with advisors, partners, and investors, and the tools made that nearly impossible. We reframed the entire product around communication.
What happened
The Business Roadmap feature let people understand financial plans using a mental model they already had. 5,000+ forecasts created with minimal support. Customer feedback: "absolutely world class."