Why is understandability the product north star rather than capability?

We held one principle early on: do not focus on capability, focus on understandability. How much does the user understand about what is happening? How well can they predict what Instinct will do when they interact with it in a certain way? I think that is one of the major factors driving engagement numbers that are completely off the charts and the viral word of mouth at 10 percent a day. The product is understandable. It just feels good. Even the shape of a text message matters. If the user scans the first line and reads less of each subsequent line in a flag pattern, which is how most people actually read text, Instinct should craft its message to front-load the important information and let the rest be optional. These soft qualities are not features. They are the product.