Crush uncertainty with low risk experimentation

Slack was becoming a source of frustration for my team. However, we were hesitant to switch to a new service due to the searchable conversations that were stored within Slack. There were also some team members that were reluctant about moving to a new platform because that meant learning a new way of doing things.

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Let's quit Slack for one week and try out another chat service (Discord).

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In order to soften the resistance to the idea, we decided to run an experiment. Let's quit Slack for one week and try out another chat service (Discord).

At the end of the week, we found that we rarely referred back to previous conversations on Slack and fully embraced the features of the new platform. In addition, our team members found switching between platforms was painless.

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The Power of Experimentation

Experimentation is a powerful tool that can help organizations make informed decisions. By testing out a new idea or process in a controlled environment, we can gather data and insights that inform our decision-making.

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In our case, running an experiment allowed us to try out a new chat service without committing to a full migration. This enabled us to compare Discord's features against Slack's. The temporary shift to discord also alleviated the concerns of team members who were hesitant to move to a new platform.

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Takeaways

Here are some key takeaways from our experience:

• Experimentation mitigates risk when making decisions.
• Running a controlled experiment reveals unforeseen benefits and issues of a new method or system.
• Testing out a new idea or process can help to alleviate concerns and resistance from team members.

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Overall, our experiment with Discord was a success. We were able to identify a new chat service that better met our needs and fully embraced the features of the new platform. Experimentation allowed us to make the best decision and ultimately improve our workflow.