When starting to build an app, you probably have tons of ideas about which features to include. But once you start talking to prospects and clients, be open to their feedback. It’s not easy to think of every feature your clients need, and if your clients want something, they will let you know.
Of course, just because they ask for something doesn’t mean they will get it.
Also, it’s impossible to have it suit everyone’s needs. Instead, aim for 80% to 90%. To cover the remaining 10% to 20%, offer some sort of workaround, manual intervention, or simply accept it as a limitation of your app.
Your ideas and your clients feedback should all be recorded and tracked in a backlog. When building the next version of the app, scan the backlog and determine which items to include.
The decision process includes asking yourself the following questions:
- Will this feature help multiple clients?
- Will it negatively impact anyone?
- Is the benefit and outcome clear?
- Does it need to be included now, or can it wait for a subsequent version?
Based on these answers, you should include it in the next release or not.
The takeaway
When building an app, determine the principles and decision approach you’ll use. Then apply them while you’re actually building it. Just remember you cannot please everyone.