WHY IGNORING USER FEEDBACK LEADS TO MVP SUCCESS ?

When it comes to user feedback, two divergent views come to mind. The statement exemplifies one, “The customer is always right.” This quote, often attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, underscores the importance of customer feedback. The other goes, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” The second is attributed to Henry Ford. Although there is a lack of evidence that Ford said it, the statement brings out the opposite viewpoint. True, the world has changed drastically since then. However, these quotes, though an oversimplified representation, highlight the two opposing viewpoints regarding market research and feedback.
Ever since the introduction of the lean startup methodology, the minimum viable product (MVP) has been a popular feedback tool for new product development. Companies launch an early version of their product. This version (the MVP) is just good enough to solve the core customer problem and provides valuable insights to inform the product roadmap. The product born out of the roadmap satisfies the customers, and a successful company is born.

The happy MVP flow above might lead the “customer is always right” proponents to declare theirs is the right way. However, the reality is not that simple. Agreed, that a lot of chapters on product failures would be filled with how teams failed to gather or act upon relevant feedback. At the same time, there would be no dearth of chapters about how teams failed by focusing too much on the same.

So, where does the sweet spot of MVP user feedback lie? Read on to learn why it might be beneficial for you sometimes to ignore user feedback and when not to.


THE SWEET SPOT

Well-collected MVP feedback is indeed invaluable for making data-driven product decisions. Observing how early adopters behave with your product version can show product teams what resonates with their early market. It can help inform critical and timely pivot or persevere decisions, saving valuable company dollars. Slack, the widely popular business messaging tool, owes a lot of its early growth to customer feedback on its initial versions.
The founders began by asking businesses in their circle to use Slack and provide them feedback. This gave them insights into how different team sizes and organizations used the tool. These insights were invaluable in shaping what Slack is today. Even today, slack’s core decisions are rooted around customer insights.


Slack in-app customer feedback example

However, while user feedback works well for Slack, realizing that it’s just one data point is essential. It is unwise for companies to ignore other factors and completely outsource innovation to users. Steve Jobs, the visionary founder of Apple, is famously quoted as saying: “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” It is hard to imagine user feedback leading to ‘replacing stylus and cell phone keyboards with touchscreen’ like insights. Steve Jobs stayed true to his vision of reinventing the phone experience while launching the iPhone with multi-touch technology in 2007. Same with the removal of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in 2017. It is safe to say that this announcement was not met with a lot of customer enthusiasm. However, that did not deter Apple from going ahead with it anyway. They stayed true to their vision of innovation and as the years have proved removing the jack worked out for them.

     
Negative sentiment regarding iPhone removing the headphone jack.
The Apple example highlights a scenario where following customer feedback might not be a wise choice. Let’s dive further into other similar scenarios

WHEN TO IGNORE USER FEEDBACK

1) Deviation from Product Vision:
As mentioned above, sometimes user feedback runs contrary to a company’s product vision. It might be that the solution is relatively new and the customers don’t understand the direction the product is driving. Even Slack did not lay equal focus on all the feedback it got. They had an understanding of their key customers, and inputs from them were prioritised. Also, sometimes the feedback might run counter to the organisation’s values. For example, a company focused on producing sustainable goods might get feedback that its products are costlier compared to those built with unsustainable materials.
 

2) Unreliable Feedback:
An MVP is released to gather feedback from early adopters. However, sometimes the early adopters might represent just a small portion of the company’s target group. When this happens, the user feedback is not reliable enough to be extrapolated for the entire market. This might lead to feature bloat if early power users demand advanced features that don’t resonate with the entire market. Also, if the sample size is small, it might not be fully representative of the entire market. Google Glass is one such example of a product that was widely touted as the product of the future. The early adopters, or “glass explorers,” were generally positive and enthusiastic about the product. However, post-launch, the product failed miserably due to factors such as high cost, lack of well-formed use cases, etc.

3) Customer Bias:
Customers may be influenced by their personal experiences and biases, which can affect their feedback. As a result, the feedback may not be representative of the broader market. It’s also possible that customers may be resistant to change, leading them to provide negative feedback even on good ideas. For example, when Apple removed the headphone jack, not all customers were enthusiastic, even though it was a good decision in the long run. In some cases, the feedback may be influenced by a vocal minority, making it less representative of the majority. Therefore, it’s crucial to collect feedback from a sample set representative of your market and to take a broader view for a more accurate collection.

4) Hinder innovation
In certain situations, especially where the product or technology is disruptive, customer feedback might not be the best guide. This is because disruptive products tend to offer something new and unfamiliar, making it difficult for customers to envision the full potential of the product. In such cases, the focus should be on innovation, pushing boundaries, and creating something customers may not have even realized they needed.

The above highlights some scenarios where ignoring user feedback might benefit your product.
Having said that, there might be certain situations where ignoring user feedback is just not an option. This can include inputs on legal compliance or product safety. Also, consistently negative feedback regarding user experience or buggy product functioning is another such situation.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, while user feedback is invaluable for making data-driven product decisions, companies should not blindly follow it. Product managers must balance user feedback with other data points, such as the company’s value, vision, innovation focus, and market analysis.