The 'Sample of One' Problem

In my newspaper days, it usually happened on Mondays. Bursting with enthusiasm, an editor would announce a major feature story to be assigned ASAP. This groundbreaking piece would inevitably be based on something that gave him an "aha" moment over the weekend.

Such as Lawns.

“Uh, lawns?” we said. (What next? Flypaper?) “What about them?”

The editor sighed. (Jeez. These reporters must all be city kids.) “I was tossing a Frisbee with my kids on Sunday, and it hit me. Lawns are the center of the suburban experience. There’s so much to say about them. But I leave the digging (heh heh) to you.”

The Lawns story was written (thankfully, not by me). And rewritten. And heavily edited. And rewritten. And re-edited. It seemed that no approach to this topic could give life to the springy, bright green Unformed Thought in that editor’s mind.

When a rather dull story about lawns and their care was finally published, the editor disowned it. Not what he wanted. (Whatever that was.)

Most of us tend to think that just because we were bowled over by something, everyone else will be equally smitten. Even when we can’t seem to explain what was so great about it.

The opposite holds true, too: If I don’t like it, no one will like it. (Even if I can't really tell you what's wrong with it.)

A good friend of mine calls this the “sample of one” problem. It has a way of dominating the conversation and stomping on reason and practicality.

>If the target audience of a website is 11-year-olds, should it matter if the 40-year-old who is designing the site doesn’t find it compelling?

>If a client keeps rejecting prototypes for a new project simply because they don't "feel right," does this demonstrate a discriminating mind at work or the actions of an insecure person overly worried about keeping her job?

>If a copywriter who hates jargon removes all the technical words from a project description, will it be appropriate for its target audience of specialists?

The moral of this story is twofold:
1) If we feel strongly about something (pro or con), we need to be able to articulate clear-cut reasons.
2) These reasons need to make sense within the context of this specific project and its intended users.