A science or an art?

Is product development more like science or the art of improvisation? I believe it’s both.

The science.

Every successful digital product relies on structure. Teams define goals, form hypotheses, and test them through user feedback, analytics, and iterations. Like in science, there are systems to follow:

• research informs design

• data shapes decisions

• experiments validate assumptions

This structured approach is essential for scaling a product and ensuring it meets business goals. It gives clarity and repeatability, helping teams avoid blind guesses and build with confidence.

The jazz.

But not everything can be predicted. Markets shift. User needs change. Feedback loops can be noisy or incomplete. That’s when product development starts to feel like jazz.

Improvisation becomes necessary. Teams respond in real time, trusting their instincts. Creative problem-solving happens in the moment, not in a lab. Some of the most successful products were born from moments of intuition, not just from A/B tests or detailed roadmaps. Product development is rarely a straight line. And that’s okay.

The Fermi moment.

Enrico Fermi, a Nobel-winning physicist, is a perfect example of this balance. During an experiment, he noticed something unexpected. Instead of dismissing it or sticking rigidly to his plan, he followed a hunch and added paraffin wax to the setup. That intuitive decision led to a major breakthrough in nuclear physics.

Great product teams do the same.
They follow the process — but they’re not limited by it.

Conclusion.

The most innovative teams know when to stick to the rules and when to bend them.
They:

• use data to inform, but not paralyze decisions

• trust their intuition when the path forward is unclear

• know that structure provides the foundation — but improvisation often drives breakthroughs

In product development, structure keeps you moving.
Improvisation makes you leap.

And that leap often leads to real innovation.