Don’t Make Our Mistakes: Lessons Learned from Developing a Failed Tool
Picture this: you and your team have been working tirelessly on a new tool, pouring your time, energy, and resources into its development. You’re excited to launch it, confident that it will revolutionize your industry. But when the big day finally arrives, you find that the tool falls flat. Users are confused, frustrated, and uninterested. You can’t help but feel disappointed, wondering where you went wrong 😕
At Viki, we know this feeling all too well. We developed a tool that we were sure would be a game-changer, only to see it fail to gain traction with our users. But we didn’t let this setback defeat us. Instead, we took the opportunity to reflect on what went wrong, and how we could learn from our mistakes.
In this article, I’ll share our lessons learned from developing a failed tool, so that you can avoid making the same mistakes we did. Get ready to take notes and level up your next project! 🚀
🔍 Context
🤞We received feature requests (centralised place for conversations / search function) from users to improve our communication tool, Inbox.
😔 We built the most requested feature and tested it for usability, but it ultimately proved to be not useful for our users.
👣 Missteps during the project
1. Assuming that feature requests are always the best solution
Just because users ask for a particular feature doesn’t mean it’s the best solution to their needs. Sometimes, what users say they want and what they actually need are different things. It’s important to have a process in place to evaluate feature requests against user needs and business goals before deciding to build them.
2. Not considering the impact on existing users
We made the mistake of only testing the usability of the specific feature we built, without considering its potential impact on existing features. While users were able to use the new feature easily, we failed to consider whether it would cause confusion or frustration for users by disrupting their existing workflows
3. Believing that a feature will work perfectly on the first attempt
One common mistake we made was to assume that a feature will work perfectly on the first attempt. Believing a feature will work perfectly on the first try led to a lack of buffer time to refine, missed opportunities for improvement, and a disconnect between what users actually want and what the team believes they want. It’s important to embrace an iterative development process to avoid this mistake.
We’ve all been there — sometimes we stumble and take a misstep during a project, and before we know it, we’re in hot water.
But hey, don’t beat yourself up about it! Even the best of us make mistakes. We’ve had our fair share of blunders, but let’s not let them bring us down. Instead, I have turned them into valuable lessons that I’ll share with you!
So, let’s take a walk in our footsteps as I share the lessons we’ve learned from our missteps.
Learning from Our Project Missteps
📚 Takeaway 1: Invest in discovery work to undercover user pain points
Before pursuing the feature request, we should have conducted research through user interviews & usability tests. By taking time to understand user needs, testing potential disruptions to existing workflows, and embracing an iterative development process, we can build features that truly meet our users’ needs and improve their experience.
📚 Takeaway 2: User testing should on potential disruptions to existing workflow
We could gathered users sentiments on whether this new feature would negatively affect their workflow/experience & provided clear communications about feature changes and. This would increase the likelihood of a smooth transition to the new feature
📚 Takeaway 3: Be open to feedback and willing to iterate
We would have stayed flexible and adopt a mentality that several iterations may be necessary to get the feature right. This involves embracing an iterative development process that involves testing & gathering feedback throughout the development cycle.
❤️ In conclusion, it’s important to remember that making mistakes is part of the process, and even the most experienced developers and teams experience setbacks. The key is to not let those missteps define you or your project. Embrace the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and make improvements. By following the lessons we’ve learned from developing a failed tool, you’ll be on your way to building something amazing that truly meets the needs of your users.
