How to launch when everyone’s watching

A hybrid release strategy based on 10 years of trial and error

It’s not easy to hear that your product is ugly.

Or that it’s confusing and out of date.

Sure, the internet has its share of “haters” and trolls who love to hurl dumb insults, but sometimes that negative feedback has merit.

In 2016, I knew the critics were right. JotForm was 10 years old, and our forms were looking tired.

To be clear, everything was running smoothly under the hood. We were constantly releasing updates and improving the functionality.

But I was conflicted. I knew a major product change would also require a big launch — and the game had changed for us.

It’s easy to launch when you’re just starting out. You can make endless mistakes when you’re working in the shadows. Once you have 3.2 million users and a 12-year track record, the stakes get higher.

The critics motivated us. Following months of hard work, we released the new Form Builder, the core of our product, in early 2017.

It worked.

The new version drew almost a million new signups throughout the year. Revising the builder accelerated our business, but it also helped me to…