Have you ever packed a backpack for a hike? Packing for a hike can be tricky. There are so many useful things you could bring, but only so much room in your backpack. If you try to pack everything, the backpack becomes too heavy. Suddenly, the hike feels impossible, despite all those useful items you’ve brought along.

Software development faces a similar challenge. Adding too many features might seem helpful, but it often backfires. The product becomes too complex and frustrating to use.

Great software isn’t like an overloaded backpack. It’s more like a chef’s knife — simple, sharp, and built for a specific purpose.

The real value in software development comes from knowing what to leave out.

The Business Cost of a Feature

Deciding which features to build often revolves around their business value. But it’s just as important to consider their business cost.

The business cost of a feature doesn’t stop at development effort. These costs include:

  • Maintenance Overhead: New features complicate the codebase, increasing the risk of bugs and the effort to maintain.
  • Testing Burden: Every feature needs rigorous initial testing and ongoing regression testing to prevent future issues.
  • Documentation and Training: Users need clear instructions, and more features often mean more confusion.
  • Opportunity Cost: Time spent on a new feature is time not spent improving existing functionality.
  • User Interface Impact: Every added UI element must be designed, implemented, and maintained, risking a cluttered user experience.

Features add weight to your software. While users may only feel some of that weight, developers carry most of that burden, making every future addition harder.

A Real-World Example

I once worked on a desktop tool for physicians that displayed clinical trial eligibility information during patient consultations. This core feature was widely used and highly valued.

Then, we added two more features: one for patient information documents and another for calculating clinical scores. Neither feature was used much, but we had to maintain a framework to support all three. Worse, the additional functionality confused users. In hindsight, focusing solely on clinical trials would have kept the product lean and more effective.

How to decide which features should be implemented?

Every tool has a primary use case — the reason users rely on it. When evaluating a new feature, ask yourself:

  • Does this feature improve the primary use case?
  • Does its business value outweigh its business cost?

Remember, development time is just a fraction of a feature’s true cost. The value it brings should therefor far exceed its long-term cost.

To make the right call, you need a deep understanding of your target user. What problem are they solving with your product? Can they solve it without this new feature?

Also, don’t overestimate users’ willingness to adopt new features. Most people only use a fraction of a product’s capabilities. I’ve seen teams add feature after feature, assuming it would delight users, only to find that most of those features were ignored.

A good rule of thumb: If only one user requests a feature and you can’t find a second user who needs it too, think twice before adding it. That request might stem from an edge case that doesn’t align with your product’s core purpose.

How to Add Value Without Adding Features

The temptation to keep adding features often comes from a desire to deliver value. But adding value doesn’t always mean adding features. Often, less is more.

Take Google Search as an example. For over 25 years, its interface has barely changed. Yet, it’s still lightning fast and incredibly useful thanks to constant algorithm improvements.

Here’s how you can add value without piling on features:

  1. Optimize Performance: A faster, more efficient product is always appreciated.

  2. Fix Edge Cases: Even rare bugs can ruin user experiences. Squash them.

  3. Remove Unused Features: This declutters the product and sharpens its focus.

  4. Reduce External Dependencies: Stable, long-lasting software earns user trust and becomes a reliable foundation for their solutions.

By focusing on core functionality and reducing unnecessary weight, you can create software that’s not only effective but also sustainable for both users and developers.