Prioritizing features during the design process involves several key steps to ensure that the most valuable and impactful features are addressed first. Here’s how I typically approach it: 1. Understanding User Needs: Typically we'll hold external meetings with the stakeholders (our client) since they hear firsthand their customers' pain points. We may also conduct user interviews to get first-hand knowledge of what users are looking for and what's causing them problems. 2. Aligning with Client's Business Goals: Remember, your goal as a UI/UX designer is to ensure that the features align with the overall business objectives and strategies. You're there to elevate their products and services. 3. Evaluating Technical Feasibility: As a designer, sometimes we have great ideas that the client's dev team can't pull off. So communication is key to make sure what you come up with can be deployed with the resources they have at their disposal. Budget plays a big part of this. In a previous project for a SaaS product, The Skins Factory's UI/UX design team faced a situation where there were several feature requests from both users and stakeholders. The initial plan was to include all requested features in the first release. However, after prioritizing based on user needs and business goals, the team decided to focus on core functionalities that would deliver the highest value and address critical pain points. Remember application design is an iterative process. You don't have to include all of your ideas as you come up with them. Every new idea has to be designed then coder and that takes time and money.
The Kano Method I always use the Kano method to set up a prioritisation scale that customers will find engaging and intrusive. With this model, we break each potential feature into different categories in accordance with the emotional responses they will trigger within the viewers: Attractive features trigger feelings of satisfaction and delight if they are present! Performance-oriented features delight viewers if they’re present and avoid them being ambushed when they’re not (or are flawed). Basic features are must-haves and should be present. Not including them dissatisfies the customers. By dividing all UX features into the following categories, we design graphics from the customer's perspective. We also avoid stuffing undesirable features into the final prototype. Yes, our team once developed a landing page layout using the Kano model, and we received 50% more impressions on that specific page than on the rest.