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Your Startup’s Customers Don’t Want New Features, They Need New Solutions
I’ve Launched Enough Failed New Features To Know
Have you ever bought a product that you expected to be great, but when you used it you were really disappointed?
I know why this happens. I know because I’ve built awesome products that nobody wanted. In fact, I’ve done it enough times to know that when it happens, it usually comes down to the same problem:
The product was nothing more than a great collection of features.
Product Features vs. Solutions
- A feature is something the product does.
- A solution is something the customer needs.
When you read those most basic definitions, the gap between builder and customer becomes a lot easier to see. We builders have a tendency to build what we envision. And when we don’t check that vision with the customer, we end up with a product that does a lot of very cool things — none of which the customer wants.
That’s when you realize that the word “feature” is just a term we use to cover up that mistake. Then you can’t unsee it.
