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I think that every successful product requires a strong vision. Start out small (MVP) and build on that vision. If you follow that path implementing "small" use
by ivanbernat 15y ago
I think that every successful product requires a strong vision. Start out small (MVP) and build on that vision. If you follow that path implementing "small" user requested features will most of the time be straightforward and will actually build on your initial vision of the final product.
However, sometimes you have to ignore some requests (big or small) if they aren't in line with what you want the product to eventually be.
One last thought is pivoting - which only select companies have managed to pull off - and have profited incredibly (Flickr, Groupon, PayPal). While it's not necessarily on topic, it's important to listen to user feedback and look for potential in every single idea (no matter how silly they might be).
- wensing 15y agoWhat if no one ever asks for the most important feature? We get a lot of feature requests, but the number one feature we focused on: "When the map loads, is it easy to know where the nasty weather is?" No one ever asked for that, but it's the killer feature.
- ivanbernat 15y agoIt's up to you to constantly look for "killer" features, but sometimes user feedback might point you in the right direction.
- glassx 15y ago"If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse" - Henry Ford
- TheOnly92 15y agoI think the thing is that you get the feature done, and then ask the users how to polish. You have to come up with the feature yourself.
- joshu 15y agoIndeed. Users rarely ask for what they need, but they do ask for what they think they need. The challenge lies in translating what they asked for into the actual problem they had and then solving THAT.