Intro
Here comes a list of features to be built. It has come from the executives and stakeholders. But how have they decided on those features. The decision makers may not have the rich information they need, and they might get into educated guesses. Well off-course not always. Although there are many methods to do prioritisation, we know that solving a technical problem is easy but solving a problem for user is challenging. And when lot many stakeholders are needed to be considered and informed it does become difficult to have a consensus. This leads to determining which features deserve time, money and energy. And the most important of all is the strategy and company goals that needs to be clear to prioritize each feature.

How does UX helps with the above formulas?
One of the best ways to prioritize features is by conducting UX Research. By analysing user behaviours and their needs we will able to prioritize features by importance.
 

Even if all have a shared vision, there are going to be deadlock and stalemates. So co-innovation approach should be adopted to reach to a decision that can help in creating and releasing the correct feature to the market.
There are 3 ways where UX can help in prioritizing features.

1) Value + Effort analysis
Priority = (Value ÷ Effort) x Confidence.
 

This formula focuses on ensuring the team works on the features that will provide the most value and require the least amount of effort. It’s a simple formula with emphasis on delivering something that is valuable to both users and the organization.
 

Value


“Product value is the benefit that a customer gets by using a product to satisfy their needs, minus associated costs.”
 

Like, a feature that can increase loyalty of the user or when a user is retained.

 

Value is based on quality that can set apart your product from competitors.

 

UX research help us in determining the value of a product

Working with users and customers will help in learning what qualities are setting your product apart from others.
We can also identify opportunities based on problems that nobody else solves.

Effort

Effort is the difficulty it takes to implement the feature.
It is based on the scope of work and complexity.

How UX Research helps?
UX Research helps in understanding user needs and how it can attain value. This will help in cutting down features that have no value.

User Research helps us to envisage true scope of work and that leads to cut in redoing the work.

Confidence
Confidence can help in deciding how confident we are in value and effort. Risk prediction is an important aspect during product development. UX Research can tell us about our hypothesis and can help in building confidence and determining value.

The prioritization formula can benefit a lot from UX research. The UX leaders can lead the prioritization conversation.

Working with development and business, UX team can contribute at a strategic level to the organization.

2) 3 Objectives
This approach is balancing desirability, feasibility and viability thus creating an intersection that provides the optimal outcome for users and business. IDEO has mapped this approach and it identifies design with intention.

Desirability 

It is about understanding requirements of real users thus make better decisions. UX Research will help in understanding whether your product is a want or need. Researching for desirability can help you identify gaps in your product. The more you fix the products gaps the better your products in the market. Information about desirability can be gathered from UX research methods such as user testing, prototype, interviews etc. This can help in prioritising a feature along with feasibility and viability of the product.

Feasibility
Feasibility looks at whether current resources are available for developing the product. If you need to build a infrastructure for a new product it increases risks and costs. Whether you can effectively implement a solution. It is about finding if you have the skills, technology, time, and constraints that may create obstacles in implementing.

Viability
When we talk about viability it is about whether your product makes business sense. It is not only in the short term but whether the business model is sustainable or not. If you have a product that is desirable in the market but it is very expensive then it is not a good business model.


3) Kano Model
Another method is to follow Kano model to provide user benefits that leads to value of a product.
 

The inventor of the Kano model is Noriaki Kano, a professor for quality management at the University of Tokyo. He questioned that every improvement of product features always raises customer satisfaction.
 

Three important benefits of Kano model is to save time, money and identify priority areas. And the important reason to use Kano model is when there is limited time and resources and you want to decide what feature should be prioritized that satisfies customer as well as leads to business value.

Kano model is divided into 3 categories.
Basic Needs:
When the basic needs are not fulfilled to reach to a goal then there is dissatisfaction and frustration for the users. The needs here are expected requirements. When a UX designer asks a user “Would you achieve your goal without this criterion?” and his or her answer is “No”, it is a basic criteria. It is like expectation of good food variety in a 5 star hotel.
Gmail is always up and running and you and emails are received the moment someone sends an email

Performance
Performance attributes result in satisfaction when fulfilled and dissatisfaction when not fulfilled. If they are excelled customer satisfaction increases. Therefore UX researchers do UX competitive analysis to differentiate their product from competirors. Performing a UX competitive analysis can excel customer satisfaction and keep companies competitive in the market. When a UX designer asks a user “Would you achieve your goal without this criterion?” and the answer is, “Yes, but the criterion makes it even better”, it is a performance criterion.

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• The amount of free storage space given in Gmail makes it better.

Delighter’s
Delighters embody the unexpected. So, they provide satisfaction when achieved, but do not cause dissatisfaction when not fulfilled. It is about delivering more than what a customer expects.

 

• And the 3 different categories that are divided for the emails Primary, Promotions and Social are delighters.

Having a deep understanding of the true needs of your users, wants, context and their behaviour is an absolute necessity to build features that satisfy customers. Doing a UX research will help in finding details of each. For an existing product doing a usability test can help us understand what a user feels about the product and can guide us to take decisions to enhance or add a new feature.
 

So, start with providing those that fulfils user needs to reach their goal and keep on adding flesh. This is how UX research can help in prioritizing features and can deliver user satisfaction and business value.

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