Customer Misbehavior

Allowing customers to express their self-identity

A few weeks ago I was walking in a city and noticed a piece of public art, designed also to function as a bench. What caught my eye was that the front edge of the piece was bare metal instead of painted black like the rest of the piece. What I quickly surmised was that skateboarders had been using it for ‘railslides’, which, as the name implies, involves sliding the skateboard along the rail or front edge of the bench. My first reaction was that the artist must be very upset about this but then a common refrain of mine bounced into my head, when you release something into the world, you can’t control how others use it. The term ‘use’ in this little mantra is very broad. It can imply what or how someone actually uses, perceives, values, cares for, mistreats, misuses, and much, much more whatever it is that you have released into the world. And, what you have released into the world is equally as broad. It can describe an idea, poem, work of art, product, or even a child. Once this wonderful creation of yours gets exposed to the world, all bets are off, so to speak. 

Try as you might to say ‘no, I meant this to be interpreted this way or to be used thusly,’ you have no control. You can’t make people see or use things a certain way. People will bring all of their experiences to bear on your work and see, use, or interact with it as they see fit. While this might seem tragic or even terrifying to some creators (another term used very broadly to imply all of us in some form or another – parents, authors, artists, software developers, etc.), it is how not only most of the world works but also how people continue to build upon each others’ ideas and make even more remarkable things. The skateboarder made an amazing performance sliding across the rail of a beautiful piece of art that was never intended for that use. It’s even possible that a photographer caught that moment despite the skateboarder not intending to be the subject of a photograph. Then the photographer might have published the picture, not intending for it to be used in a newsletter about misusing products but here we are.

I originally wrote about this concept of customers misusing products in often clever but unintended ways in the book The Power of Customer Misbehavior. This idea came from research on viral growth, in an attempt to answer the question ‘why do some products grow so much faster than others?’ What we discovered was that customers rarely stick to using products exactly as the creators intend. Instead, they "misbehave," finding creative and sometimes surprising applications that reveal unmet needs or overlooked possibilities. These moments of “misbehavior” gives us an invaluable opportunity to dig into what users genuinely want or how they naturally interact with products. By focusing on these patterns, product managers can develop features that resonate more deeply, often opening doors to markets or functions we hadn’t considered. 

One of my favorite misuse stories involves dogs. Back in the early days of social networking, Friendster allowed people to connect online in ways that were novel at the time, but some users started experimenting with it in ways the platform hadn’t anticipated, creating profiles not for themselves, but for their pets. Dogs, cats, and even fictional characters began to populate Friendster’s network, as people found joy in playfully expanding their online identities. Friendster, however, wasn’t amused and promptly shut down these “fakester” accounts to keep the platform focused on real connections. Not to be thwarted, many of these playful users migrated to a new social network, Facebook, recreating their beloved pet profiles and sparking a new trend. One enterprising user took it a step further by creating Dogbook, an app within Facebook exclusively for dog profiles. Suddenly, dogs had friends, photo albums, and their own online communities. Facebook faced a choice: curb the canine craze or let it ride. They embraced the phenomenon, recognizing that this wasn’t just idle fun but users wanted more ways to creatively engage and connect. By leaning into Dogbook, Facebook saw the potential of empowering users to shape the platform’s culture and functionality, a move that led to their embrace of third-party apps and expanded forms of social expression. What began as a few rogue dog profiles ultimately helped pave the way for Facebook’s transformation into a flexible, user-driven platform. 

This story of Dogbook, drives two questions – why do people typically misuse a product and what benefit does it have to the company to allow this? To help answer the first question, if we list out a few ways that people misuse products, perhaps we can identify some patterns.

• Clothing

  • Sporting jeans with rips, frays, and patches, styles that mimic the look of hard wear from physical labor, conveys a rugged, down-to-earth vibe or appreciation for effortless style that feels “authentic.”

  • Wearing heavy-duty jackets and boots designed for extreme conditions, like mountaineering or polar expeditions, while navigating urban settings, signals a love for the outdoors or a preparedness for adventure, even in mild weather.

  • Wearing tactical pants, camo jackets, or combat boots in urban settings, items designed for military or rugged use, signaling a tough, adventurous persona or appreciation for utilitarian style.

  • Wearing heavy-duty brands like Carhartt or Dickies, traditionally made for construction or trade work, as everyday streetwear, conveying a blue-collar identity or appreciation for durability and ruggedness.

• Cars

  • Cruising around town in high-performance sports cars built for the track, complete with loud engines and low profiles, signals a thrill-seeking personality or love for speed, channeling the aura of a professional racecar driver in everyday settings.

  • Driving lifted pickup trucks or Jeeps with oversized tires, often outfitted with tow hooks and other off-road gear, but rarely leaving paved roads, signaling a rugged, outdoorsy image or love for high-performance vehicles.

  • Restoring and driving old Land Cruisers, Broncos, or Defenders in city settings, where they're more about projecting a classic, adventurous identity than actual off-road excursions.

• Gear

  • Carrying bulky, high-end DSLRs and lenses in casual settings, such as family gatherings or vacations ,signaling the identity of a "serious photographer" or artist.

  • Riding top-tier racing bikes around town or to work, signaling commitment to fitness or a “serious cyclist” identity, even when no races are in sight.

  • Displaying professional-grade chef knives prominently at home, even for basic cooking, signaling culinary expertise or foodie status.

  • Carrying oversized, rugged hiking backpacks in everyday settings like the city or work, signaling a love for the outdoors or readiness for adventure.

  • Wearing paracord bracelets, multitools, or even carrying compact first-aid kits daily, signaling a prepper mentality or outdoorsy, survivalist identity.

If you picked up on the idea that most of us misuse clothing, cars, gear, and much more in our daily lives to help display our self-identity or personality to others, you have spotted the pattern. I firmly believe that we do all of this to signal who we either want to be or who we want others to perceive we are. Self-identity refers to one’s sense of who they are, built around various aspects such as values, beliefs, affiliations, roles, and cultural background. It’s the conscious understanding a person has of themselves in relation to society, often answering the question: Who am I? For example, someone might see themselves as a "teacher," "adventurer," or "introvert." Self-identity is often a mix of chosen and inherited aspects, like family ties, cultural heritage, career, and life experiences, and it can evolve over time. 

So the concept is simple, you really can’t control how people will use or perceive your creation. Once you release it into the world, you have to expect this. The reason for this is that often people are looking for ways to demonstrate their self-identity. Your creation, if you are lucky, might be seen as a mechanism for this expression. Now, why should businesses do this? If we return to our story about Dogbook, we can perhaps see why embracing this might be beneficial to a company. Ultimately Facebook thrived as a social network while Friendster was relegated to the internet’s history books of failed companies. While Dogbook wasn’t the reason for Facebook’s success and Friendster’s ultimate demise, one could argue that the approach of letting users do what they wanted on the social networking site was the key. Rather than shutting it down because it didn’t fit some preconceived notion of what social networking was supposed to look like, Facebook ultimately won because they not only allowed but encouraged this behavior.  

Allowing customers to "misuse" products can ultimately drive innovation, customer engagement, and market expansion. Embracing the unpredictable ways customers might engage with products, like Friendster profiles for pets or skateboarders transforming urban installations, signals a company’s flexibility and openness to evolution, traits that not only attract users but also build brand loyalty. When companies resist rigidly defining product use, they empower customers to integrate products into their self-identities, deepening the personal significance and, thus, loyalty. This self-expressive use is particularly powerful in tech and social platforms, where customization fosters user ownership of the experience.

There are countless examples where allowing some "customer misbehavior" has led to innovation. Think about IKEA's "hack" culture: customers around the world modify their products in myriad ways, creating an entire online community dedicated to sharing unique ways to use IKEA items. IKEA has leaned into this by creating a more modular product line, recognizing that customers wanted their products to be flexible and customizable. Similarly, Snapchat's "filters" and "lenses" started as fun, playful ways to use the platform but quickly evolved into powerful tools for creative expression and even brand advertising. This feature was only possible because Snapchat observed how users embraced the ability to personalize and interact with content.

Thus, rather than policing or curbing creative or unexpected uses, companies can gain from channeling customer ingenuity. By enabling customization, observing the patterns of unanticipated usage, and incorporating feedback, companies cultivate a more loyal, engaged, and invested user base. Ultimately, letting go of control may lead to an ongoing co-creation process, where users help shape the future evolution of products and brands. So, the question for product leaders isn’t whether they can control customer use but rather how they can support and even capitalize on these acts of “misbehavior.”

Rather than seeing customer “misbehavior” as a challenge, forward-thinking product leaders should recognize it as a key to unlocking richer engagement and innovation. When businesses let go of strict product control, they open doors to customers who aren’t just users but co-creators, embedding their self-identity in the product experience. This self-expression deepens brand loyalty, as products become more than objects, they become statements of personal identity, belonging, and creativity. The magic lies in allowing products to serve as blank canvases, adaptable enough to carry individual stories and interpretations. By designing with flexibility, companies aren’t simply responding to trends; they’re creating platforms for customers to express who they are and who they aspire to be. In doing so, they tap into an enduring relationship that extends far beyond traditional user interactions, crafting brands that evolve with their audience.