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IntercomExplainer
This is not a map - The Intercom Blog
Summary
Intercom added a map feature showing customer locations worldwide, kept it live for three years, and recently sunset it despite its popularity because the use case was unclear. Customers primarily used the map to show off at conferences, on Twitter, and to investors, not for geographical analysis. Realizing the map’s true job was as a showpiece, Intercom shifted improvement focus from cartographical accuracy, clustering, and borders to aesthetics and shareability. They redesigned the map to automatically hide sensitive data, look impressive, and provide a unique shareable URL, making it easier to show off. This approach resulted in a geographically inferior map that better served customers’ actual needs, proving that understanding usage trumps the feature category.
Context
The map feature was popular but its use case was unclear until Intercom examined how customers actually used it: as a showpiece to impress others at conferences, on social media, and with investors.
Approach / What changed
Intercom redesigned the map to prioritize visual appeal over geographical accuracy, automatically hide sensitive customer data to enable sharing, and provide a unique shareable URL for each customer.
Takeaways
Customers often use products in ways that differ from the company’s intended purpose, making it crucial to study actual usage.
Improving a feature based on its real job-to-be-done, not its assumed category, leads to more effective enhancements.
A geographically worse map became a better showpiece by focusing on aesthetics, data privacy, and shareability.
FAQ
How did customers actually use Intercom's map?
Customers used the map to show off at trade shows, on Twitter, and to investors, rather than for its intended geographical analysis.
What changes did Intercom make to improve the map?
They made the map look good first, automatically hide sensitive customer data, and provided a unique shareable URL to make it easy to share.
Why did Intercom sunset the map feature?
Although the map was popular as a showpiece, it was not a use case Intercom chose to continue focusing on for the product.
Source and freshness
- Source
- intercom.com
- Published
- Added to Yomu
Summaries are generated from the original by a language model. Check the original before relying on it.
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