You want to enhance your mobile app. How do you balance user feedback for innovation and practicality?

Genuine user feedback is like oxygen for an app. Understanding user feedback well enough is as important for the success of any app. Product managers need to triage the user feedback data to categorize and prioritize their incorporation into the app. They also need to read between the lines to extract what will actually be beneficial for users.

Users have to see and try a product. Do not ask them to imagine. Also do not ask them for radical innovation. Ask them how they use it, what challenges they face, what doesn’t and does work. Then interpret that. Like doctors product managers have to catch the soft cues. Some of these soft cues may give you radical ideas. But do not expect the user to act as a product manager.

Its critical to start with the pain points and consider how you'd solve them, then look to the benefits of mobile technology. When I led a team that built the first auto insurance mobile quoting application, the pain point was the data entry so we brainstormed easier ways to use mobile tech to make entering lots of information easier, using the camera, OCR, GPS etc...

In order to balance user feedback and innovation, I collect feedback from my customers/clients and analyze the feedback, offering impactful recommendations and it’s business first, and I make sure the basics are stable and shared with clients/customers. Unit testing of the product and at the same time informed the client with road maps, and the value of analytics for informed decisions.

Balancing user feedback for innovation and practicality is key in enhancing your mobile app. 1. Adopt a dual-track development approach, with one track for bold, innovative features and another for practical, incremental improvements. 2. Use data-driven feedback loops, leveraging analytics and machine learning to prioritize impactful features. 3. Engage users in co-creation through community platforms and focus groups. 4. Maintain a flexible, agile product roadmap, and leverage AI for feedback analysis and feature testing. 5. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, blending creative and pragmatic problem-solving. This holistic approach ensures your app remains both cutting-edge and user-centric.

Implement a weighted scoring system to evaluate potential features based on impact, feasibility, and alignment with strategic objectives. Utilise frameworks like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) to prioritise development tasks. By balancing user demands with technical feasibility, you ensure the delivery of high-impact, practical solutions that enhance the user experience while adhering to development timelines and resource constraints.

Mobile apps that succeed in the market are designed with the end users in mind. In other words, you are designing your mobile app based on the actual pain points and inconveniences of your potential users or target audience. Though it’s good to have awesome visuals and add cutting-edge features, you should be designing for real people with real needs. The design process below guarantees a high chance of market success and shortens the timeline between conceptualizing an app and launching it in the market. The method below also opens up avenues for attracting large sums of investments.

Again, improving feature prioritization using the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) method: 1. Align features with core jobs: Prioritize features that directly support the main jobs users are trying to accomplish with your app. 2. Evaluate job friction: Identify and prioritize features that reduce major pain points or obstacles in completing key jobs. 3. Consider job frequency and importance: Prioritize features that address high-frequency or high-importance jobs for your target users.

After distilling user feedback, prioritizing features is essential. Evaluate the value each feature adds to the user experience against its implementation complexity. The MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) offers a practical framework for classification and prioritization. This approach helps manage resources efficiently and set realistic timelines for your development team. By focusing on essential features first, you ensure that critical improvements are rolled out promptly, enhancing user satisfaction and maintaining a structured development process.

Establish a robust continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline to automate testing processes. Incorporate unit tests, integration tests, and user acceptance testing (UAT) to validate new features across different scenarios. Use automated testing tools to simulate real-world usage and identify potential issues early. This comprehensive approach ensures that new features meet user expectations and maintain the app’s performance and reliability.

Businesses and organizations that have worked with us have been able to launch their apps 50% faster than the industry average due to our adherence to the minimum viable product (MVP) concept. The MVP concept is basically about including just the minimum number of features in your app design to gain initial market traction. In other words, if your app can gain a critical mass of users with just 3 features and it can also do so with 10 features, opt to design and develop an app with just 3 features. Note that “3’” here is just a rough figure and not a specific industry benchmark. Why the MVP way? Designing an MVP app takes less time than designing a feature-rich app.

Before implementing new features, establishing robust testing protocols is crucial. Conducting beta testing with a select user group provides valuable insights into real user interactions with new functionalities. This step helps identify and address issues before a full rollout, minimizing the risk of introducing bugs that could negatively impact user experience. It is a practical approach to innovation, ensuring new features are polished and ready for wider use, thereby enhancing reliability and user satisfaction.

Create a dynamic feedback loop by implementing an agile development methodology. Release features incrementally and gather user input through in-app surveys and analytics tools post-release. Use A/B testing to compare different versions and optimise features based on user feedback. This iterative process ensures the app evolves in line with user needs, enhancing satisfaction and fostering a sense of community as users see their suggestions actively implemented.

Efficiently manage resources by employing agile project management techniques and prioritizing high-impact tasks. Use tools like Jira or Trello for task management and to facilitate cross-functional collaboration. Regularly review and adjust resource allocation to align with changing priorities and user needs. This strategic approach maximises productivity and innovation, ensuring the timely delivery of valuable features while maintaining alignment with business goals.

Conduct thorough risk assessments using methodologies like Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify potential challenges early. Develop proactive mitigation strategies and contingency plans to address technical constraints, market changes, and user adoption barriers. Continuous risk monitoring and quick adjustments ensure the app’s stability and reliability, keeping the development process aligned with user expectations and business objectives.

The most challenging part of user feedback is to overcome the "Survivorship Bias". You get feedback, positive or negative, from the people that actually used your app. How to understand why the rest of your target audience did not bother to download/use your app? For this, beyond the obvious, focus groups, test users, free samples, etc. I always try to personally speak with my target audience and understand behind the "spoken excuses/arguments" what is the real reason they could not identify value for my app.