Which feature to prioritize first ? – Wrong Question

When building a product it is very easy to make a list of features to build. One could brainstorm to create an initial list, copy features from a similar product or ask others (including potential users or customers ) via a feature wish list.

However which feature to prioritize and what to build first? is one of the most burning question for startup founders and early employees.

There will always be more features to build and add than there is the capacity or bandwidth to build.The additional challenge is even after building it is not clear if it was the right decision.

These decisions typically happen based on what one thinks is cool to build or someone has asked to build first. For lack of a better framework to use to decide that is how things move forward but time runs out, product builder stand clueless what should have gone in the first place.

LeanStartup principles offer a framework for thinking about this. BUILD gets complemented by MEASURE & LEARN and which further loops.

At the beginning of an idea building an MVP is good step forward (which as we previously is tool for learning & may not be any feature of the product) to learn a little bit more.

With learning from MVP additional features can be decided upon. List each feature in terms in terms of the learning that they should yield along with a defined metric.

At various stage of a startup different metrics matter and come into play. For instance in the very beginning along with the MVP – validation of problem & solution is the important metric. Once that is established metrics relevant user acquisition, retention, referrals become important.

The first step to decide before periodization is to decide the metric for startup to focus on. Once the metric identified picking the feature become easy.

For instance for a product the problem/validation is established the next important stage is to acquire users really fast then to prioritize a feature ask the question “Does feature X allow to acquire users more by Y%”. Pick the feature first that will have the higher score for this. If development time comparison for the feature is steep then factor it in the trade-off.

In essence the question “Which features to prioritize to first” is to be really framed as “Which learning to prioritize first ?”

Sameer Agarwal

Awesome Rajan – thanks ! How does a startup collect this feedback from early customers? Phone, email, events? Or maybe use ‘content’ as the marketer – what do you think? A good question is to ask – what is ‘content’ ! 🙂
Sandeep Todi

Rajan, does goal selection strategy differ for a new product vs one which has established customers ? One of the challenges of product cos with customers, is also whether to build beyond the MVP to keep the flock loyal (existing customers), or to build stuff which prospective buyers are asking for. What’s been your observation ?
rajendra raja

Happy to see this tip
rajendra raja

What to prioritse depends on why should prospects come into your place or home or website. Reason has to be urgency and alarm for the prospect capture. No product can be ever one be all solution. So obviously whenever you decide on the No 1 and No 2 reason for set up or venture it is fine, please provide features list accordingly.
I have seen many start ups for fun, or vague idea. Entreprenuers are drilling the hole for SOMETHING. Out of peer pressure, or zeal to become millionairre or they have gone through the trauma of working in a large corp with no meaningful work except PPT and meetings and somehow blackmailing the customer for ever increasing extra billing.
So reason behind start up puts the reasoning capability and what for the product is designed. Often after burning huge midnight hours and tears, and blasting by VCs -potential or already hooked, for wrong reasons, entreprenuers realise Oh My God!!! now we must be serious. Then they try discover the actual relevance of the product with most prospective buyer chance.
Obviously that is the stage of putting right reasons and right features on the forehead and say that is what my product does best. Till that time it is just balloning and kite flying. So dear all this article need to be taken as a guide in that context. All the best
rajendra raja

Just wanted to clarify – my sharing is on what to publicise as key features for sale to customers. I have not covered on what to build. Both are different indeed.
mtrajan

Sameer Agarwal , Metrics should measure behaviour data. In the initial stages a lot of it
is qualitative but as things become more mature it is more qunatitative
metric of the behavour. For gathering feedback Observe customer >> speak to customer in person >> speak to customer over phone/skype – is the order I would suggest.

Sandeep Todi
In existing product the difference will be on how to design the MVP & accessing of the customer will be different. goal selection would be pretty similar. What do you want to learn new about the users

At a given point it would be useful to have just one metric , typically activation precedes retention. Having said it will be super useful to find out as inexpensive as possible what the user wants as compared to what he asked for through a forced behavioral response from the user which is the key purpose of an MVP

rajendra raja
For a new startup I would think they need (or should) not worry about publicizing key features.