Better Product Managers, and Product Management

Half of your app is an Easter Egg

September 2nd, 2010

“But all you have to do is option-click on that little “pi” symbol in the corner…”

I have a challenge for you.

“By the way, did you know that you could do X with our app?”

  1. Write down a list of the coolest features in your application — the most useful, the ones that differentiate you from the competition, the ones with the highest ‘delight’ factor.
  2. For the next week, each time you communicate with a customer, pick one of those features and ask that customer if they’re familiar with it.
  3. Write down their response.

A lot of them are going to say “no”.

This may because they just started using your product, or because they’re not very tech-savvy, or because that particular feature is not relevant for them.   But more likely, it’s because those features are about as accessible as an Easter Egg:

  • Your site doesn’t mention that those features are available
  • There’s no inline help explaining why someone should try them
  • They require a little workaround in order to use them… which is not explained on your site
  • They’re only available to paid subscribers – but neither free nor paid subscribers know this
  • They look ‘scary’ (because it’s not clear what activating them will do.  Is there a chance it will lose data or undo previous tasks?)
  • There are no demos, screenshots, or any other way to preview them

This is bad.

I mean, you built these features already.   You probably had a good hypothesis as to why they’d be useful.  You invested development and design time into implementing them.  But while they’re in “Easter Egg” state, you will not learn from them.

You can’t know if a feature is useful if no one knows it’s there.  And if you kill a feature while it’s in this state, you’re going to draw false conclusions.  Sure, no one complained.  You don’t complain about missing something if you didn’t know it existed.

So, take the challenge.  Figure out what customers don’t know about.  Anything “unknown” that is core to your business — that had better become the next focus of your attention: figuring how, as quickly as possible, to start “un-Easter Egg-ing” those features so both you and your customers benefit.

Popularity: 2% [?]


Popularity: 2% [?]
  • http://twitter.com/cindyalvarez cindyalvarez

    Half of your app is an Easter Egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) New blog post: http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/hnshah hnshah

    RT @cindyalvarez: Half of your app is an Easter Egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) New blog post: http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/jaygoldman jaygoldman

    RT @cindyalvarez: Half of your app is an Easter Egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) New blog post: http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/Rypple Rypple

    RT @cindyalvarez: Half of your app is an Easter Egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) New blog post: http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt ^JG

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/gdevore gdevore

    RT @cindyalvarez: Half of your app is an Easter Egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) New blog post: http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/dennisl dennisl

    Half of your app is an Easter egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt /via @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/kevnd kevnd

    Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://ow.ly/2yCXE #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/ChadSummerhill ChadSummerhill

    RT @cindyalvarez: Half of your app is an Easter Egg. (Figure out which half & fix it!) New blog post: http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #ux #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/jeremycrane jeremycrane

    Very interesting perspective on when Kill a feature might be the wrong idea http://j.mp/dvKdTv

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/aprildunford aprildunford

    RT @cindyalvarez Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #prodmgmt (so true)

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/CPBulger CPBulger

    RT @jeremycrane: Very interesting perspective on when Kill a feature might be the wrong idea http://j.mp/dvKdTv

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/gander2112 gander2112

    http://www.cindyalvarez.com/design/half-of-your-app-is-an-easter-egg darned true here #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/chenelaine chenelaine

    RT @aprildunford: RT @cindyalvarez Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://bit.ly/cC91Wk #prodmgmt (so true)

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/bolidea bolidea

    Do your users know all of your features or are they easter eggs? http://bit.ly/d4vXUE

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/jordi9 jordi9

    Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://bit.ly/c2Rfo2

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/sdepablos sdepablos

    RT @jordi9: Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://bit.ly/c2Rfo2

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/JuanmaOrta JuanmaOrta

    Do your users get the 100% of your app? That’s why: RT @jordi9

    Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://bit.ly/c2Rfo2

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/inthecompanyof inthecompanyof

    » Half of your app is an Easter Egg The Experience is the Product | Better product management and products http://t.co/jFPJAzX

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/chpapa chpapa

    Half of your app is an easter egg http://j.mp/a7I8Ek

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/KISSinsights KISSinsights

    Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/KISSmetrics KISSmetrics

    RT @KISSinsights Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/hnshah hnshah

    RT @KISSinsights Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/JBertling JBertling

    RT @KISSmetrics: RT @KISSinsights Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/wingify wingify

    Wow, great insights! -> RT @hnshah: RT @KISSinsights Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/lincolnmurphy lincolnmurphy

    RT @KISSinsights: Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/RichMironov RichMironov

    RT @cindyalvarez Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F scary but true #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/SofianeHocine SofianeHocine

    RT @KISSinsights: Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/brianoberkirch brianoberkirch

    “You can’t know if a feature is useful if no one knows it’s there.” http://bit.ly/adDaYy

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/oneeyedjess oneeyedjess

    RT @brianoberkirch: “You can’t know if a feature is useful if no one knows it’s there.” http://bit.ly/adDaYy

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/lisaw1 lisaw1

    RT @cindyalvarez Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F Definitely something to keep in mind when designing #prodmgmt

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/easy_commerce easy_commerce

    KISSmetrics: RT @KISSinsights Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez http://ow.ly/18UhjH

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/sarand0603 sarand0603

    RT @hnshah: RT @KISSinsights Half of your app is an Easter Egg http://kiss.ly/avzd1F /by @cindyalvarez

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

  • http://twitter.com/danvolkens danvolkens

    RT @ryanscherf: » Half of your app is an Easter Egg The Experience is the Product | Better product management and products http://bit.ly/c0hhMD

    This comment was originally posted on Twitter

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