Software vs. Bloatware

The biggest fear for product designers is the fear of building a product that no one *can* use or wants to use. Here, I am using the term bloatware for apps/tools that became too complex to use or were overloaded with features in order to improve, that it backfired.

The responsibility of building a product is on the developers and designers and the idea guys in a company. They prioritize the features based on their intuitions, obsession, and market/user demands. The tussle is not only in deciding what to build next but also on managing the tradeoff between quality, time, and money.

Here are some guidelines that can be followed to successfully build softwares that people actually use.

Software

Software gets your work done as easily as possible.

People can easily find what they are looking for and can use it on their own (in the best case, without any assistance). With every new update, the software makes it easier for users to get their work done. Also, the news updates do not feel intrusive to the users. In the best case, the users should feel like the software is reading their minds and bringing exactly what they were looking for or what they expected.

We must focus on building an experience that users can go through without external assistance. It is not a good sign if a consumer-facing app (aiming for mass adoption) needs things like app tours, in-app explanations, and tutorials. Sometimes, new apps introduce features that were never built before or requires the user to learn something that they never did before, in that case, app-tours/in-app explanations can be justified.

The best softwares are the ones that you never look an alternative for.

Bloatware

Bloatware makes it harder to find the one thing that you came looking for.

The learning curve is long and frustrating for the users. You need someone to tell you what to do with it and how it works. Often, the thought that "more features will help us attract more users" leads to complex experience. Every major update feels like an entirely new app. And you change the position of icons, texts, and tools that users were familiar with.

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The trajectory of a product development/design

Release an iota of utility in the form of your product, then add more features, and enhance the user experience over time as you test it with actual users. Bring new features that you always wanted to bring in your app, but be ready to kill your darlings.

Every software/app goes through a certain and unique journey. But there is one objective that it helps your users fulfill from day one.

Each version of the Application (software) should enhance the key use case. Once you test that your idea/app can help users achieve that objective (use case) successfully and that the users agree that the app helps them achieve that objective effectively. Then only, you should move ahead to add more stuff based on the user's feedback, suggestions, and demands.

Also, plan the trajectory of your software/app in a way that the tradeoff between these three factors: Quality, Time, and Money align well with the availability of the resource and the market/user demands.

Spending more money on resources can speed up the development, but in that case, there are higher chances of building bloatware. Because you never felt the need to prioritize and had the ability to build more at a faster pace. The mindset to use money and time effectively also leads to building softwares that people actually want and use.

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I occasionally publish my thoughts on Medium/Xreach on various topics of interest as well.