(2015-09-01) Porter The Next Feature Fallacyor The Case For Simple Working Systems

Joshua Porter: The Next Feature Fallacy (or, the case for simple, working systems). Tell me if this sounds familiar: You released the first version (MVP) of your product some months ago and it was an exhilarating experience. You went through the highs and lows of launch and had moments of excitement and pride when people started using your product for the first time. But...as the weeks wore on it started to become clear there just wasn’t enough usage.

But it’s OK, you rationalize, this is a long game. This is a hard problem and you’re in it for the long haul

But...the narrative is a delusion, a fallacy.

Fix what you have and get that working before adding more features.

1. Talk openly about what's not working

The Next Feature Fallacy is really about being honest about an underperforming product. This is often the biggest hurdle of all...and everyone’s worst nightmare: to admit that you’re not doing as well as you hoped

focus on improving your usage metrics incrementally instead of setting unrealistic expectations

2. Stop new feature production

You’ve got to push the giant red STOP button.

Stopping the production line is also a clear, strong signal that you’re changing your priorities. This is even better than having a heart-to-heart with your team because it suddenly demonstrates change and it magically opens up a lot of room in your sprints to go back and work on existing features

3. Redesign your Core Product Loop

you don’t want to just redesign your existing feature set, but your existing product loop. What’s the difference? The difference is that your existing feature set is focused mostly on engaged users, while your existing product loop comprises the broader experience: getting started and using your product.

For a deep dive into some numbers around this check out Andrew Chen’s piece on the next feature fallacy. ((2021-03-09) Chen The Next Feature Fallacy The Fallacy That The Next New Feature Will Suddenly Make People Use Your Product)

Andrew shows how most features do not address the fundamental interaction points that lead to app growth.

To redesign your core product loop well you need to talk with the right people. The best people to talk to are those who have recently made an explicit decision to not use your product

One thing to watch out for: When interviewing, if you hear something of the form: “I’ll use/buy your product if you add X feature”, know that this is a nasty instantiation of the Next Feature Fallacy and just isn't true. What is true is that they're not going to use your product, but be careful when people make promises based on features that don't exist. The promises usually don't exist, either.

It is helpful to think about products not as a set of features, but as a system that evolves over time. The more features you add, the more complex the system. The fewer features, the simpler the system.

Start with a Simple, Working System