If you’re not familiar with design or user experience (UX), in the next 5 minutes, I’ll show you how a new product feature comes to life.
For most people, a product refers to a physical, tangible object that can be bought. In the world of design and technology, products refer to apps and websites.
For example, every app on your phone is a product.
A feature is something a product has or does.
โA product feature refers to the capabilities, appearance, or attributes that combine to form a functioning product, delivering value to end-users by enhancing their experience or solving specific problems.โ
What are product features? Definition, examples, and 5 types from Mind the Product
I’m sure you’ve experienced opening an app you use every dayโDuolingo, Maps, WhatsApp, your banking appโand noticing a new look, a new option, or a new way to do things.
Sometimes, the app itself will mention and introduce you to the new options so you can make the most of them, a process known as onboarding.
So, how does a new product feature come to life?
- Does the designer wake up one day and decide he’s had enough of the pink cyan gradient color scheme?
- Does the engineering department develop features as and when they see fit without much design involvement?
- If an acquaintance complains to an executive at a cocktail party about a bad experience they had with the app and suggests changes, is that enough reason for her to ask the design team to change it?
Things like that canโand doโhappen.
In an interview for a senior position years ago, I was asked verbatim what I would do in that third scenario, if an exec โstrongly recommendedโ a terrible design.
In this article, though, I’ll discuss the typical process followed when creating a new feature.
The feature: Clothing in context
I’m on the lookout for an elegant, warm long-sleeve top.
Last year, the temperatures in Austria reached as low as -8.2ยฐC (17ยฐF). Understanding the weather conditions is important to ensure appropriate clothing choices.
Online, you can’t feel the fabric to gauge warmth.
How warm will it keep you? It’s a secret.
Or, it was, until OGLmove. The sustainable women’s clothing brand has solved the issue with a slider.
The temperature slider design contextualizes clothing by indicating suitable temperatures for wearing each item.
The making of the feature
| Steps | What does it look like in practice? |
|---|---|
| Researching | Interviewing paid research participants to understand why they do or don’t purchase clothing Research identifies a key user task โ Users in cold countries want to know how warm a top will keep them so they can layer appropriately. |
| Designing | Based on the key user task, designers develop solutions to aid user decision-making. A developer is consulted to assess the technical feasibility of the designs. |
| Testing | The initial design is tested with users to ensure the information is findable, clear, and useful. The slider was one of three options and it’s the clear user testing winner. |
| Building | Developers, also referred to as engineers, are responsible for writing code and constructing the technical infrastructure necessary for the feature. |
| Launching | The feature goes live, aka everyone who uses the product (the online store in this case) can see suitable temperatures for wearing each item. Users report higher satisfaction with their purchases. The number of returns has decreased. |
| Iterating | Following the feature launch, additional feedback can be collected and further improvements can be made. For example, users can now also sort clothing by temperature, and the items feature detailed close-up photographs to prominently showcase the fabric. |
I wasn’t involved in the making of this feature, so this process is based on my experience leading content strategy for leading agencies, tech startups, and global brands like Sony and Microsoft.
Terrible design vs good design
When discussing different ways features are developed earlier, I referenced terrible design. โTerrible designโ is a subjective observation and not specific enough to inform concrete improvements.
The renowned German designer Dieter Rams’s list of principles of good design is famous in design circles.
To me, good features:
- are user-centric (help the product user reach their goals)
- are business-impacting (contribute to business objectives)
- evaluate their potential societal impact
Hope you enjoyed this quick breakdown of how a new product feature comes to life!
For the curious โ What would I do if an exec โstrongly recommendedโ a terrible design?
