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Exactly these 2 points. I as a PM for a platform may sound arrogant, however I strictly adhere to the phrase: Only what customerS need, not what they want. I a

Exactly these 2 points. I as a PM for a platform may sound arrogant, however I strictly adhere to the phrase: Only what customerS need, not what they want. I also rely on numbers and classification: does this feature help one or more user? Which type? Power User(s)? Everyday normal users? Is this just emotional, a want or need? How much does a user benefit from the change? Can we do better, are we missing something (symptom vs. root cause)? Product development is incredibly hard to get it right. However, do less as a general advice. Think about Word and its feature overload. There is a downside to customer feature wants: clutter and distraction. Users of all kind are allergic to noise. Keep that in mind. I call this "friction free". I think in systems, as a general abstraction and modules. I classify features. For example Power Users can get a special Role and Admin area where you can abstract there needs away. Their productivity is different. I learned as a rule of thumb, that you should talk a lot to your customers and blend that with data. Data itself (usage tracking) is highly misleading. This is hard and I aim for general satisfaction level. People who like your products tend "get" your idea and don't fight it. Have fun! :)

maigret 5y ago
> clutter and distraction. Users of all kind are allergic to noise It's actually worse than this - additional information and option hinders the users. It make them less able to find, understand and successfully perform otherwise easy tasks. At some point, it also make them stop use the product. Those major drawbacks are important to state to all stakeholders.
- antifa 5y ago
  That's weird, I always thought the absence of additional information and options were what was hindering me from performing easy tasks.
HelloMcFly 5y ago
Good doctors don't ask patients what medications they want, they probe about symptoms, context, desired outcomes, etc. I find this a reasonable (not perfect) analogy in my work as a consultant.
larrik 5y ago
> Data itself (usage tracking) is highly misleading. This is so true. Why is a feature unused? It could be: * It is not needed * Nobody can find it * Nobody understands what it does or how it works * The name is misleading people into thinking it's not what they want * You left the feature flag off, the feature isn't even live * It doesn't actually work * It works sometimes, but frustrates users when it breaks so they don't come back * Your data is wrong, and they do use it * etc. Lots of folks stop thinking at the first one.
silexia 5y ago
I absolutely hate modern design that tries to get rid of all the "distractions". I have had a bunch of my favorite applications get MUCH worse due to hiding or elimination of key features in the name of making a simple slick design.

maigret 5y ago

> clutter and distraction. Users of all kind are allergic to noise It's actually worse than this - additional information and option hinders the users. It make them less able to find, understand and successfully perform otherwise easy tasks. At some point, it also make them stop use the product. Those major drawbacks are important to state to all stakeholders.

antifa 5y ago
That's weird, I always thought the absence of additional information and options were what was hindering me from performing easy tasks.

HelloMcFly 5y ago

Good doctors don't ask patients what medications they want, they probe about symptoms, context, desired outcomes, etc. I find this a reasonable (not perfect) analogy in my work as a consultant.

larrik 5y ago

> Data itself (usage tracking) is highly misleading. This is so true. Why is a feature unused? It could be: * It is not needed * Nobody can find it * Nobody understands what it does or how it works * The name is misleading people into thinking it's not what they want * You left the feature flag off, the feature isn't even live * It doesn't actually work * It works sometimes, but frustrates users when it breaks so they don't come back * Your data is wrong, and they do use it * etc. Lots of folks stop thinking at the first one.

silexia 5y ago

I absolutely hate modern design that tries to get rid of all the "distractions". I have had a bunch of my favorite applications get MUCH worse due to hiding or elimination of key features in the name of making a simple slick design.