4 lessons from launching 22 products
Just last week I begun work on my 23rd client’s product.Its actually been a very long time since I worked on someone else's project ever since I started work on my own ( Devless).
Of all these projects some have been very successful and others not doing so well .Most importantly I have learnt a bunch working on these projects. One aspect where I have learnt a lot is how they launch. And I want to share my learnings.
Forget all the features
Clients show up describing clearly the problem they want to solve . But soon begin to bury their solutions under crusts of fancy features.One time I was sub contracted to build an independent ordering platform. I wasn’t exactly excited about the project. A week into it I am shown the interface for the app , A single page !!. Search food then fill a popup form to place an order. Three weeks later I am told clients keep asking for deals and so we made that available, then merchants started asking for recommendation spots so we also made that available. I quickly realised we began adding features only when asked by our users. We solved the problem we saw initially and in the solution we found new problems to solve and there we found our features. And so I personally label features as solved problems and not something to be built or added to a product.
Forget Technology
Well not entirely. But then keeping in mind that its just a means to an end helps a lot. One other client showed up and had been solving the problem of book keeping for small shops using a spread sheet and forms. She described how her solution worked and went like “You see this, please take it and make it easier and accessible”.When I began work I was struck by the fact that she already built the solution but was now looking for better ways to improve it. Unlike some clients who go like “this thing will sell all I need is an app” she sounded more like “How best can I solve this? ” and went for it and only came when she needed more done.Who says you need an app? Technology is not a silver bullet, Its a tool and not the product. I read somewhere the product is what your users get using what you’ve built and not the thing itself.
Show the competitor some love
I never get enough of clients whining about how the competition is got it all wrong and they not knowing the best approach. Mostly before I begin working on a clients project I checkout their competitors to understand how they approach the problem.Its quite interesting how much you can learn showing genuine interest in a competing product. For instance I got inspired by how Firebase initially launched without a SignUp/SignIn page , it made sense because I couldn’t think of why they will need user details then . Another example with programming languages. I began my career with python I heard people rant about how bad PHP was, so I took it for a spin to find out why not to use it . I ended up becoming a PHP fun boy , yes I found out it wasn’t the best language out there , but the economics just made sense . I wouldn’t have found out why most companies where I live choose this over a better language if I hadn’t tried it .
Blow your horns
Slamming a URL on a web page or uploading an app to the store does not guarantee it will get to its intended users even if its the best of it kind. You don’t have to pull some crazy marketing stunt , find ways to reach your intended users . Some clients get me to switch to production and start raising issues that it feels like something is missing on the platform , meanwhile analytics says no one is visiting it. The internet is not a mall and products wont sell themselves , You have to make noise .
Conclusion
These are definitely not the only things I have learnt working on projects but these 4 stood out to me. Also maybe I am seeing it from a developers point of view , with my own project where I am the product owner , I am learning a ton and will soon share.
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