Essays/linkedin/24-01-23 we are better at adding

📱 We are much better at solving problems by adding features than by subtracting them. That's why we so often fall into the trap of creating feature-dumps instead of amazing products.

I remember the first time I had to plan a product roadmap from scratch.

I started adding every single thing imaginable: multiple laser colors, automation, sample identification, automatic logging.

I think I was just 1 week shy of adding the option of making coffee.

Being constrained in resources helped me identify what were the most important features (and which ones I was able to deliver). The other options were put in the backlog, but they were not discarded. Some day there will be time to put them back into the instrument.

Then, the trial by fire with users and customers arrived.

It's impossible to meet everyone's full range demands, and the entrepreneur's (or product owner) astuteness comes into play to decide on the roadmap.

However, little is discussed about the inability to remove features in order to solve problems.

It's much more evident to keep adding. Perhaps we can extend the range of users with a multi-color laser. Perhaps people will like it if we also add a sample auto-loader.

It's extremely hard to acknowledge that perhaps the solution is to go back through to product's evolutionary tree and follow a different branch.

How much cognitive effort do you think it took to remove the keyboard from the iPhone?