Putting Fun on the Roadmap

Product Leaders

Feb 10

Should we put Fun on the Roadmap?

Most of you business types probably think it's unnecessary. I get it. We want efficient, "tight" user experiences and our backlog is too long to even contemplate Fun.

But what if Fun is now an expectation?

We think of the **extra and unnecessary** <BLINK> tag from the early Internet that drove us crazy. Not Fun.

Of course, some apps have Fun as **part of the experience itself** like games and gambling apps.

For the rest of us, our optimizing ways are creating blandness.

Boring is ever-present. Even the vibe coders with their advanced technology tend to create the most mind numbing experiences.

But there is **useful and relevant** Fun we can create.

Apple adds simple yet useful Fun.

The fast forward button in the Apple Podcast spins when I click it (sorry advertisers). That tells me it received my tap even if it takes a split second to do the action.

The Live Photos feature made our Harry Potter dreams of moving paintings come true for our everyday photos. Nestled in a Live Photo of my friends is the one where everyone's eyes are open (and now Apple likely selects that photo automatically for the thumbnail). Fun begets utility.

Business users despise the **database on a screen** apps such as Concur or Ariba/SAP. Yes, they work but they are susceptible to replacement by apps that recreate the functionality and also make it a better and more Fun user experience.

Business user expectations are evolving, so should yours.

Your marketing needs something to talk about this quarter...am I right?

So think of something Fun and useful then try it before you kill it. Measure the reaction from your user base. Go from there.

This post inspired by "Putting Joy on the Roadmap" from Jenny Wen, Mihika Kapoor and Keeyen Y.
--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqHIDavoeiU

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