5 questions to answer before you build a feature

The team moves fast without deciding what the customer needs, ships, and finds users confused or not using the feature. Then it's back to the drawing board, building the same feature behind schedule and over budget.

Before development, frame ideation around one question: why would the user care?

These 5 questions answer it:

→ What problem does the customer have?

→ What can the feature not live without?

→ What action shows it worked?

→ Which requirements have no customer benefit?

→ Which option solves the problem most simply?

Ideation should be rough, but not aimless.

With these answered, the team builds one clear feature, and customers are more likely to finish what they came to do. The time you'd have spent rebuilding goes to what users need next.

Picky clients. Endless revisions. And a lot of second-guessing.

The ViaCarte fintech explainer was another project where getting everything just right took some serious back-and-forth.

One creative decision we wrestled with was how to present the product. We considered different approaches, but eventually decided to bring the mobile phone and laptop into 3D.

It added another layer to the visuals and helped us give the product a more tangible presence.

But here's the thing: knowing when to stand your ground and when to compromise isn't always easy.

How do you handle clients who are hard to please? Do you trust your instincts or let the client have the final say on every detail?