In my presentation last week at The New Knowledge Forge, I referenced a New York Times article about consumer resistance to the new gallon milk jug as an example that any kind of change takes time because people have to change how they think.

The new jug sports a number of impressive improvements. It’s much more environmentally friendly than the current one, because it keeps milk fresher, eliminates the water use associated with washing empty milk crates, and saves a significant amount of fuel because more jugs can be transported to stores in fewer trips. Also, there’s a $.10-.20 savings on the retail price per gallon over the old jugs. So where’s the problem?

Several people interviewed in the article said they didn’t like the new jug because they found it difficult to pour, a result of the relocated spout and overall different shape.

This demonstrates that no matter how much effort is put into designing a better product or tool, an equal-or greater-amount of effort must be dedicated to showing people how to use it, and guiding the necessary change in thinking that they must undergo in order to embrace it.

Just because you understand that it (whatever it is – wiki, blog, new milk jug, etc.) is better, doesn’t mean that the benefits are obvious to everyone. Therefore, the second wave (i.e. the non early adopters) are some of the most important people in the adoption process for anything new, because they help you hone and refine your message so that it appeals to a mainstream audience.