Build Boring Features
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw
At work, we have no shortage of collaboration tools — Google Docs and Sheets, Slack, Trello, Quip, Meet, Chatter, Zoom, email, and more. If I add in personal productivity applications, the set increases to include tools like Evernote, IaWriter, Notion, Apple Notes, Dropbox, and Discord. I imagine most of you are in the same waterlogged boat with no bucket in sight.
With so many options, the challenge has shifted from ‘can I do x’ to ‘where should I do x’? The good news is that some tools are purpose-built and therefore the obvious choice for certain jobs. For example, for a video call, we will always use Google Meet. But what happens when we have several options for getting the same thing done? How do we pick? If there’s a message to share with the team do you send an email? Post to Slack #general? Share on Chatter? And how do people know where to go for that information?
In watching my own habits, the pattern hasn’t been exactly clear. In some cases, I choose a tool for a particularly useful feature. For example, in long-form document writing I default to Google docs due to a single capability — suggestions. Even with its cluttered UI, suggestions makes co-authoring so useful that nothing else comes close.
In other cases, say Apple Notes, I find myself choosing not for any particular ‘feature’, but instead, for something boring, invisible. Notes is on every device I own, no install required — everything syncs everywhere, automatically — no ‘refresh’ required. And while Apple Notes lacks a ton of fit and finish, and I do mean a ton — it does enough. Basic organization, elemental formatting, and accurate syncing (ie. It doesn’t lose my stuff). It would take a powerful feature indeed to move me off Apple Notes.
Our bias as product people is to build more — that’s why we have jobs after all. To add new features toward the ever-distant horizon. If the last feature didn’t win over prospects and dazzle customers, then the next one will. And so we march on, glittering roadmaps in hand.
But which features really matter? Too often our attention goes to the noisy, in your face feature. We are dazzled by the bright lights and bells of the slot machine — blinded when we should really care about if our ventilation system creates a smoke-free casino. Quiet features matter too.
Consider Dropbox. They solved the problem of file syncing — instant and everywhere. It just worked — fast and on every device. For most people, myself included, that was magic. Everything else at the time immediately felt clunky. Fast forward and today Dropbox is working hard to find a new market in broader collaboration and project management. I wonder, is more the answer? I use Dropbox precisely because they don’t have bells and whistles — they sync perfectly, behind the scenes, quietly.
At Google, the foundation of their business is search — they get you what you need, fast. The understated search box not as sexy as new additions like maps, flights, or an AI-powered assistant, but Google IS search. When it comes to search, speed is a feature.
0.71 seconds.
Boring yet pivotal.
As we build products, the unspoken rule is that more wins.
“80% of the people use 20% of the features. So you convince yourself that you only need to implement 20% of the features, and you can still sell 80% as many copies. Unfortunately, it’s never the same 20%. Everybody uses a different set of features.” — Joel Spolsky
After all, we have engineers on standby — why have a team if not to build more? But what is more? More to who? I submit that more isn’t always the noisy new feature, sometimes it’s more subtle. Sometimes it’s the hard work behind the scenes, never seen, but always felt.
How often do you consider the areas underneath and around your product experience? The signup form or the lost password flow? The page loading speed or polish of animations? Do you worry as much about how people will first experience your product as you do about the feature you need to match the competition? What about removing features people have to use today and providing the same benefit automatically?
It’s natural to focus on what’s in front of us, and in software, that’s usually features on a screen, but sometimes what matters most is the quiet, boring feature you’ve missed or ignored. These features may not make a splash, but still waters run deep.
Like articles on building product? Subscribe to receive by email