Build the best product features in 5 steps
Build the best product features in 5 steps
If everything is a priority then nothing is
When the Justin TV website launched in 2007, it live-streamed Justin Kan’s life around the clock. Justin, along with Michael Seibel and two others, developed and launched the idea. By 2011, it evolved into Twitch, a gamers live streaming site. Michael later explained that, in the early days the four founders lived in a two bedroomed apartment on very little money. They broke most of the startup best practice rules he now espouses. He said the three things that saved them from going under were, technical capability, living very cheaply and the desire to make it work. Twitch was sold to Amazon for $1b in 2014.
Build the best product features
Stop saying you don’t have the time and admit it’s not a priority. - J.S. Felts
Michael Seibel, informed by his experience developing Twitch, speaks and writes about maximising the chance of startup success. He advises founders to focus on building features with the highest impact that are relatively easy to implement. Impact refers to the degree to which a feature will solve a key user problem and/or improve their experience. Ease of implementation refers to how difficult or time-consuming it will be to build the feature.
This approach allows founders to quickly deliver value to users and iterate on their product based on feedback. It also helps avoid wasting time and resources on features that users do not value.
Feature prioritisation steps
Stop managing time. Start prioritising attention. - Richie Norton
Michael Seibel’s tips for prioritising product feature builds include:
Talk to users. The best way to understand the features our users require is to talk to them directly. Ask them what problems they are facing and assess which features they would find most valuable. I found initial players of my game Scraper by directly engaging with people in a coffee shop. I responded to player feedback, both in person and online.
Create a user journey map. A user journey map is a visual representation of the steps that a user takes to achieve their goals with your app. This can help you identify the key moments in the user experience where a new feature could be most helpful. For Scarper, I sketched out the user journey in a flowchart to help me think through the design.
Set goals for each feature. Before we start building a new feature, define what value it should deliver. This helps us stay focused on developing features aligned with our overall product goals. We should Help Users See Value Quickly by minimising the steps necessary for them to experience a desired outcome.
Use a prioritisation framework. There are various prioritisation frameworks that can be used to help decide which features to build. I have used the ICE framework where potential build features are assessed for Impact, Confidence and Ease. Each factor is scored between 1 and 10. An ICE score for each feature is then calculated as I x C x E, e.g. Impact (8) x Confidence (5) x Ease (3) = 120. The features with the highest ICE scores get built first.
Iterate. As new features are built and released, user feedback helps us iterate. We should implement different solutions if features do not work for users. Usage metrics in Scarper helped me identify where players struggled so I could fix issues and improve the design.
Other resources
Building Product talk by Michael Seibel
Less is More in App Design post by Phil Martin
How to Prioritise Tasks post by Phil Martin
I’ll let Michael Seibel share some closing thoughts. It’s not about having an idea; it’s about turning that idea into a reality.
Have fun.
Phil…
