How To Simplify Your Product

There’s one idea that’s stuck with me for seven years. It helped me prioritise features, reduce development spend, and build simpler products. And it’s about a hot dog.

The Hot Dog Question

In the book ‘Rework’, Jason Fried talks about what you ‘could do’, what you ‘want to do’, and what you ‘have to do’. He says that you need to start with the things you ‘have to do’ — the epicentre.

The following quote drove it home for me:

“The way to find the epicentre is to ask yourself this question: ‘If I took this away, would what I’m selling still exist?’ A hot dog stand isn’t a hot dog stand without the hot dogs. You can take away the onions, the relish, the mustard, etc. Some people may not like your toppings-less dogs, but you’d still have a hot dog stand. But you simply cannot have a hot dog stand without any hot dogs.”

Know Thine Hot Dog

The creative process is plagued with insecurity. More features promise us protection against interrogation. They allow us to say ‘yes’ and feel good about it. The problem is when there are so many features, the hot-dog can get lost in the mix.

Winning products know their hotdog. Think about Google’s minimalist search box vs. Yahoo’s cluttered homepage. Instagram’s instant filters vs. Camera+’s infinite options. Tinder’s large photos vs. Match.com’s detailed profile. And, of course, Apple’s iPod vs. Microsoft Zune.

Every additional feature dilutes the flavour of your hot dog. So choose your toppings with care and, of course, good taste. Clean up your stand regularly. Throw away condiments that passed their ‘sell-by-date’. And if you’re going to have ketchup, make sure it’s Heinz.

About me:

I’m Dave and I coach CEOs of Series A+ tech companies. Over the last 10 years, I’ve co-founded three VC-backed tech companies, invested in dozens of early-stage startups as a VC and Angel investor, and mentored hundreds of startups as a Lead Mentor for Google. For more info, visit Dave-Bailey.com.