During product releases, how do you decide whether to focus on user-centric features or stability and engineering features?

Question

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Deciding between user-centric features and product stability/engineering-focused
features in a product release can be challenging, but a structured framework can
help guide these decisions effectively. Here’s a detailed framework to consider:

1. DEFINE OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

* User-Centric Goals: Identify what user needs or pain points you are
   addressing. Consider how features improve user experience, increase
   satisfaction, or drive engagement.
 * Product Stability Goals: Outline the importance of stability, performance,
   security, and technical debt reduction. Evaluate how features contribute to
   long-term product health and scalability.

2. PRIORITIZE BASED ON IMPACT

* User Impact: Assess how the feature will affect users. Will it significantly
   enhance usability, solve critical issues, or add valuable functionality?
 * Stability Impact: Evaluate the feature’s impact on system stability,
   performance, and maintenance. Does it fix existing bugs, improve performance,
   or reduce future technical debt?

3. EVALUATE RISKS AND BENEFITS

* User-Centric Features:Benefits: Can drive user satisfaction and retention,
   potentially leading to increased adoption or revenue.
   Risks: May introduce new bugs, complexity, or require additional support.
   Consider the impact on overall product stability.
   
 * Engineering-Focused Features:Benefits: Enhance the robustness, security, and
   performance of the product, reducing future risks and technical issues.
   Risks: May not have immediate visible benefits for users, which could affect
   user engagement or perception.

4. ASSESS RESOURCE AVAILABILITY

* User-Centric Features: Determine the resources required for design,
   development, and testing. Ensure there are enough resources to support
   quality implementation.
 * Engineering-Focused Features: Evaluate the resource requirements for
   infrastructure changes, refactoring, or technical improvements. Assess if
   these can be implemented without disrupting user experience.

5. CONDUCT USER AND STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK

* User Feedback: Gather input through surveys, user testing, or feedback
   channels to understand user priorities and pain points.
 * Stakeholder Feedback: Engage with internal stakeholders (e.g., sales,
   support, marketing) to understand business priorities and technical
   constraints.

6. BALANCE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM NEEDS

* Short-Term Needs: Address immediate user needs or market demands with
   features that offer quick wins and visible benefits.
 * Long-Term Needs: Focus on stability and technical improvements that ensure
   the product’s sustainability and scalability over time.

7. CREATE A PRIORITIZATION MATRIX

Develop a matrix to categorize features based on their impact and effort:
 * High Impact, Low Effort: Prioritize these features as they offer significant
   value with minimal investment.
 * High Impact, High Effort: Consider these features carefully; they provide
   substantial benefits but require considerable resources.
 * Low Impact, Low Effort: These can be included if resources are available but
   shouldn’t take priority.
 * Low Impact, High Effort: Generally, avoid these unless they are critical for
   long-term stability or future plans.

8. PLAN AND COMMUNICATE THE RELEASE

* Release Planning: Define a roadmap that balances user-centric and
   engineering-focused features based on prioritization.
 * Communication: Clearly communicate the rationale behind the release plan to
   both users and internal teams. Highlight how the release addresses both
   immediate needs and long-term goals.

9. MONITOR AND ADJUST

* Post-Release Monitoring: Track the impact of both user-centric and
   engineering-focused features. Use metrics and feedback to evaluate success
   and areas for improvement.
 * Adjustments: Be prepared to make adjustments in future releases based on user
   feedback and performance data.

Anonymous · Answer

I use transparent multi layer framework
Alignment on N% percent rule for each category of features. For ex 30% for user
centric, 30% for Product stability and 40% for engineering focused.
Tieing these features to business outcome and product vision that would like to
achieve.
Impact vs effort vs risk mitigated like security privacy accessibility.
Deal breaker or proposed by key stakeholder
Customer insights feedback

During product releases, how do you decide whether to focus on user-centric features or stability and engineering features?

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