Navigating Feature Creep in Software Design: Lessons from Consumer Tech
Wayne Hoyer, a marketing professor and James L. Bayless/William S. Farish Fund Chair for Free Enterprise at Texas McCombs, recently published a research paper that examines the effects of "feature creep" on consumer tech products. Highlighted in a Medium article, the study reveals that while adding more features can increase perceived capability, it often diminishes ease of use.
These insights are not only pertinent to consumer electronics but also highly relevant to software design, where balancing functionality and user experience is paramount.
One major takeaway from the research is the relationship between a product's features and its perceived usability. The more features a product has, the more capable consumers expect it to be. However, as the study notes, “the more features a product had, the more consumers expected it to be capable — but the less they expected it to be easy to use” . This rings true in my experience. When I ran my agency, project management tools were often feature-rich but did not effectively address my primary need: prioritising out-of-scope client requests.
The research also highlights that “the less similar the features were, the harder consumers thought a product would be to operate”. This observation influenced the development of Scopey, where I focused on a few interrelated features to manage scope creep in projects effectively. Instead of overwhelming users with myriad options, Scopey simplifies the process, allowing for live scopes of work where clients can add requests transparently.
Additionally, the study suggests that “companies can boost sales by emphasising that a product’s features are interrelated, thereby promoting expectations that it will work well”. This insight explains why many software businesses prefer integrating specialised tools over using a single, all-encompassing system.
On a personal note, as someone who suspects they have ADHD, I found traditional tools with excessive features almost unusable. Scopey was born out of the need for simplicity—a tool with a clear, focused purpose. By showing the value of services outside the original scope, Scopey helps manage both scope and feature creep, allowing clients to prioritise effectively.
The lessons from consumer tech are clear: simplicity and clarity often trump sheer functionality. By focusing on interrelated features that address core problems, software can offer a better user experience, ultimately leading to greater satisfaction for both businesses and their clients.
