Beyond Gut Feel: Smarter Decision-Making for Digital Products

As a digital product leader, you’re constantly making decisions—big and small—that shape the success of your website or app. Some choices are clear-cut, but many exist in shades of grey, where data is incomplete, stakeholders’ opinions conflict and the pressure to move fast is relentless. It’s not just about making the right call—it’s about navigating uncertainty, balancing short-term execution with long-term vision and keeping your team aligned along the way. 

If you’ve ever felt the weight of these decisions, you’re not alone. At Adrenalin, we’ve spent 20 years in the digital product and tech space, facing the same challenges. We’ve seen how good decision-making can transform products—and how poor choices can create unnecessary roadblocks. That’s why we want to explore decision-making in digital product leadership: what makes it so challenging, how to approach it with confidence and the frameworks that can help you make better decisions, faster. 

Decisions and outcomes  

 Over the past 20 years at Adrenalin, both good and bad decisions have been made. But as time has passed, we’ve grown more confident in our decision-making, making more good calls than bad ones, building successful digital products which are used by millions of people every day..  

One of the key reasons for this improvement in our decision-making is a shift in how we evaluate our decisions. We’ve learnt that the quality of a decision isn’t solely defined by its outcome. There are forces beyond our control that can turn a well-thought-out decision into an unfavourable result, or, conversely, make a flawed decision appear successful through sheer luck.  

If we judge our decision-making purely by outcomes, we blur the line between competence and luck, ultimately preventing us from making impactful improvements. True growth comes from understanding how we make decisions—learning from both successes and failures to refine our decision-making process.  

While uncertainty will always exist, the good news is that our own experience, along with statistics:  

• A study from Harvard Business Review found that over 60% of executives believe their decision-making has improved with experience, particularly when they focus on refining their decision-making process rather than just outcomes.  

• A study from the University of Chicago found that about 40% of business outcomes can be attributed to external factors rather than the decision itself, highlighting why evaluating the decision-making process—not just results—is crucial.  

• Good decision-making leads to long-term success – According to a study by Bain & Company, businesses that make faster, high-quality decisions are 2x more likely to outperform competitors in revenue growth, profitability and total shareholder return.  

In most cases—barring extreme circumstances—good decision-making tends to lead to good outcomes, whether immediately or over time.  

Good decision-making  

Good decision-making isn’t just about choosing the best option—it’s about following a deliberate process. It starts with uncovering the real problem, ensuring you’re solving the right root challenge rather than just treating symptoms. Then, it’s about generating as many potential solutions as possible, expanding the range of choices before narrowing them down. Next comes rigorous evaluation—scrutinising each option through data, experience and critical thinking.  

Identify the real problem  

Let’s admit it—it often feels easier to treat symptoms than to uncover the underlying issue. Putting out fires gives us a sense of action, a feeling that we’ve done something and made progress. And to be clear, sometimes that’s necessary—grabbing low-hanging fruit can build momentum or buy us time. But we should never get comfortable with just treating symptoms. Finding the root challenge is difficult, but it’s non-negotiable.  

Finding the root cause of a problem requires a mix of human insight, data and validation:  

• Get diverse perspectives – Talk to people at all levels, from frontline staff to senior stakeholders and don’t hesitate to seek external expertise. For example, if you’re building a digital product for an educational institution, speak directly with teachers, administrators and students. First-hand information is crucial—when insights pass through multiple channels, they inevitably become filtered, distorted, or lost.  

• Balance expertise with data – Some experts may not provide evidence-backed answers, but that doesn’t mean their insights should be dismissed. Years of experience create an intuitive understanding of problems that data alone can’t always capture. However, complementing their perspectives with data analysis helps identify correlations and patterns, distinguishing anecdotal concerns from systemic issues.  

• Test whether you’re solving the real problem – Before moving forward, ask yourself: Is this solution addressing the root cause, or merely treating a symptom? A good test is whether the issue resurfaces in a different form later. If the same problem keeps appearing, chances are you’ve only scratched the surface.  

Generate multiple solutions  

When faced with a decision, it’s easy to default to the most obvious or familiar solution. But great decision-making isn’t about choosing between option A or B—it’s about ensuring you have a full spectrum of possibilities before narrowing them down. The more alternatives you consider, the higher your chances of landing on an optimal solution rather than settling for a mediocre one.  

Similar to the previous phase, a great way to start is by gathering diverse perspectives, but to truly generate better solutions, there are a few important principles to keep in mind:  

• Leverage proven techniques – Structured approaches like design thinking and design sprints provide frameworks to explore problems and solutions systematically. These methods encourage ideation, iteration and validation before committing to a path. Moreover, when brainstorming, focus on generating as many ideas as possible before filtering them. Often, great ideas emerge from refining or combining less polished ones.  

• Separate problem exploration from solution generation – In meetings or discussions, dedicate time specifically to understanding the problem before jumping into solutions. While this may feel inconvenient, it prevents teams from rushing into answers without truly identifying the root challenge.  

• Be patient and look for patterns – Often, solutions that seem different on the surface share underlying principles. Take the time to group similar ideas together. If you encounter opposing solutions, resist the urge to dismiss one in favour of the other. Sit with the discomfort long enough and you might discover a hybrid approach that combines the best elements of both. 

Evaluate rigorously  

Coming up with multiple solutions is only half the battle—the next step is to assess them critically. Not all ideas are created equal and the best decision-makers don’t just go with what feels right. They systematically evaluate options, balancing data, intuition and strategic alignment. Here are three key ways to assess your options effectively:  

• Define clear criteria for evaluation – What does success look like? Establish objective criteria such as feasibility, scalability, impact, cost and alignment with long-term goals. Without clear standards, every solution might seem viable, making it harder to make a confident choice.  

• Use data, but don’t be ruled by it – Data helps remove bias, but it doesn’t always tell the full story. Complement quantitative insights with qualitative input from domain experts, users and frontline teams who understand the problem firsthand. The best decisions are made at the intersection of data and experience.  

• Run an experiment – The best way to test an idea is to bring it to life in a low-risk way. In the digital product world, this means prototyping or launching a minimum viable product (MVP). Small-scale validation can prevent costly mistakes and provide real-world insights before full commitment.  

Deciding fast & slow  

Fast-paced environments—like the world of digital products—are a breeding ground for defaults and firefighting. The pressure to move quickly can push us towards instinctive, reactive decisions. But true leadership requires the confidence and courage to challenge our defaults, slow down when necessary and think clearly. The key is balance—knowing when to pause and deliberate and when to move decisively before an opportunity slips away or delays ripple through the rest of the operation.  

Two frameworks can help digital product leaders navigate this tension:  

• Jeff Bezos’ Type 1 vs. Type 2 Decisions – Not all decisions carry the same weight. Type 1 decisions are high-stakes and hard to reverse, requiring careful thought. Type 2 decisions, on the other hand, are low-risk and reversible, meaning you can move quickly and iterate as needed. Recognising which type of decision you’re facing prevents unnecessary delays and ensures focus is spent where it truly matters.  

• Eisenhower Matrix – Not everything urgent is important. This framework helps prioritise decisions based on urgency and importance, ensuring that teams don’t get stuck firefighting low-value tasks while neglecting strategic, high-impact choices.  

Deciding with your team  

Not every decision needs to go through you, but without clear guidelines, ambiguity can lead to misalignment. When team members lack direction, they’ll naturally interpret situations based on their personal preferences, priorities, or immediate pressures—sometimes in ways that don’t align with broader goals. That’s why defining decision-making boundaries is essential.  

A useful approach is to categorise decisions into two groups:  

• Decisions the team can make independently  

• Decisions the team makes but runs by you for input  

When it comes to the first group, take, for example, the decision to release a new version of a product when a minor issue has been discovered. If fixing the issue requires an extra day and you’re unavailable, what should the team do? If the priority is meeting deadlines, the logical choice might be to proceed with the release. But if the focus is on delivering a polished, near-perfect experience, delaying for the fix would be the right call.  

Without a clear framework for prioritisation, teams may hesitate, second-guess themselves, or make inconsistent choices. By establishing decision-making criteria upfront, you empower your team to act with confidence while ensuring alignment with the product’s vision and priorities.  

Big & small decisions  

Big decisions set the direction, but small moments shape the journey. Strategic choices—like defining your product vision, selecting the right technology, or choosing a market position—are critical. Yet, they don’t guarantee success on their own. It’s the countless tactical decisions along the way that determine whether those big decisions translate into the right outcomes.  

That said, getting the big decisions right is the first step. In the world of digital products—whether you’re building a website, an app, or a bespoke platform—strategic clarity is essential.  

If you’re looking to refine your approach, explore our latest Digital Product Strategy Guide for insights into making smarter, more effective decisions.  

And if you’d like tailored guidance, learn more about our Digital Product Strategy Engagement offering.