Don’t listen to the Customers….

Ever heard of Evernote? They took “the customer is always right” a bit too literally. They added every feature imaginable because, well, users asked for it. The result? A Swiss Army knife that required a manual for new users. Plot twist: they had to build a whole new version for the sake of simplicity.

Not far behind, Instagram decided to tinker with their feed algorithm based on user feedback, aiming for a more curated experience. The aftermath? They quickly pivoted back to a more balanced approach to keep both new and existing users happy.

What these stories tell us is clear: Listening is crucial, but so is interpretation. It’s not about acting on every piece of feedback but understanding the underlying needs and problems users are trying to solve. Sometimes, they themselves might not see the forest for the trees.

The important lesson here is that our job as innovators is to decipher the true needs of our users and deliver solutions that are intuitive, effective, and often simpler than what they ask. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about making the feature list longer, but making human lives easier.

In the dance of product development, sometimes the best step is the one that is not taken!