The Question I Ask Before Building Anything
You might need to ask yourself too
Let's settle this once and for all: the progress of a product isn't measured by the number of features it has.
Why?
Because users rarely care about features. They care about getting things done. They care about outcomes.
If you were to announce any of these updates:
An AI search feature was added.
Dark mode is now available.
We've launched a new dashboard.
These sound exciting, but mainly to the person/team that built them, they don't mean much to users on their own.
What users really want is to:
Find what they're looking for faster.
Better understand their business.
Save time and complete their tasks faster and easier.
A feature is only valuable if it creates a meaningful outcome. That's why I try to build (and sell) outcomes, not features. So whenever I'm building something, I ask myself:
What outcome does this feature create? Which user goal does it help achieve?
If I can't answer these questions clearly, it's usually a sign that the feature needs more thought.
As AI makes product development even easier, the focus has changed from just writing code. The builders who stand out and get the most out of products will be those who combine product thinking, design, engineering and AI to solve real problems.
Next week, I'll share how applying this outcome-based approach increased how users engage in one of the products I'm currently building.
See you next time!
I'm Mary, a product engineer, who designs and builds usable, accessible and intelligent products
