We often think climbing a ladder means reaching higher.

But in product development, the most powerful ascent happens when we go deeper.

Almost a decade ago, I strapped on my first Fitbit. (A hand-me-down from my wife, who had upgraded to an Apple Watch. She had enjoyed the step counting and supporting app, and thought I should give it a try.)

I started with a simple goal: walk 11,000 steps daily to shed some unwanted pounds. I was motivated.

My wake-up call had come in an emergency room, of all places.

After bruising my ribs skating backwards with my daughter on a bumpy ice trail, the hospital scale delivered a shock: 204 pounds.

First and only time I’ve crossed that 200-pound threshold.

The Fitbit started as a functional tool — count steps, track progress. But something fascinating happened as those daily walks became ritual.

Let me break this down through my CLIMB™ (Customer Life-Improving Mechanisms and Benefits) framework:

Functional: The device did its basic job — tracking steps accurately. Numbers don’t lie. Meeting that 11,000-step goal meant walking over 5 miles daily.

Emotional: Watching those numbers climb brought genuine satisfaction. The buzz at goal completion became a daily dopamine hit. Pride replaced shame.

Transformative: The walks became me-time. Thinking time. Problem-solving time. Weight dropped steadily – 40 pounds in all. But the transformation went deeper than numbers on a scale.

Transcendent: Walking morphed from weight-loss strategy to lifestyle cornerstone. All these years later, regular walks remain essential — not for counting steps or losing weight, but for clarity, creativity, and connection with my surroundings. Ideas and solutions come to me more fluidly when I’m walking than at any other time. I can trace many achievements and breakthroughs to my walks.

All together, this is how great products work.

They start by solving an immediate need (like step counting) but enable profound change (lifestyle transformation).

For product makers, the lesson is clear: understand every level your product can touch. The deeper you go on CLIMB, the more meaningful your product becomes to users’ lives.

That simple step counter evolved into an agent of profound change for me. Your product holds similar potential.

What levels of CLIMB does your product engage? How could it go deeper?

Laurier

P.S. These days I walk because I love to walk. And the weight has stayed off. Got a similar story of how a product had multiple levels of change in your life? Hit reply. I’d love to hear it!