We have all heard about scope creep, but what about feature creep? This phenomenon occurs when you try to put every possible feature into an application with the idea that will make it a solid solution. There are several problems with pursuing this route. The first is you are never truly going to hit on every feature that every user is looking for. Every business is created differently with a different set of rules. What you have to look for is the BEST features that the majority of users will need.
The second problem with feature creep is that the application does a lot of things but nothing really well. We have seen this before with a lot of things in the industry. You can just hear those brand/marketing meetings where someone says, “Let’s put a little bit of that system and a little bit of that one, and we will have the best solution.” The problem is that it does not do any one thing really well. You are always better off doing something really well and then slowly introduce new features and functions. Usually the Frankenstein products eventually fade away because they are too confusing or do not really satisfy a need.
Our main objective is with FLO is to create a system that is simple, yet has enough features in it to satisfy our target market. We also have the benefit of building a system for organizations similar to ours that manage projects. If we don’t like a feature or don’t really get why our competitors are doing it, then we omit it.
Whether it is a new game being developed or a piece of new software, I think a lot of developers/designers would be better off with focusing on a key idea and building a simple idea around it. Stay focused on what you are trying to achieve and build slowly on the concept.