Ever feel like you're just a coding robot, building exactly what users ask for? Stop it!

There's a difference between what users think they want and what they actually need. Be a visionary, not a vending machine. This isn't about being stubborn or thinking you know better—it's about seeing the bigger picture when your users are stuck in the day-to-day.

The 50% Rule: How Ignoring Feature Requests Made Ellie a Success

Let me tell you about Chris. He's building this awesome productivity app called Ellie. His secret weapon? Ignoring half the feature requests. Sounds crazy, right? But trust me, it works.

Here's the thing: users often don't know what they truly need. They're focused on the now. Your job is to imagine what could be. Think of it as having product superpowers, predicting the future of how people work.

Remember when a user told Chris, "Multiplayer? Nah, we don't need that!" Guess what? It's now Ellie's biggest feature. Proof that listening too closely can hold you back.

If Chris had just built what users explicitly asked for, Ellie would be just another todo app. Instead, it's becoming indispensable because he saw possibilities his users couldn't yet imagine.

The 20% Innovation Rule: Small Bets, Huge Returns

Chris does something smart: He sets aside 20% of his dev time for "uncharted features." Small risk, huge potential. Like an investor placing small bets on wild ideas within their own company.

This isn't wild speculation—it's calculated innovation. By dedicating a specific portion of resources to experimentation, he keeps the core product moving forward while still making room for breakthrough ideas.

But there's a catch. Watch out for scope creep! These experimental features need to stay lean:

• Minimal changes to the database
• Quick implementation (2-3 days max)
• Easy to roll back if needed

Fail fast, learn even faster. It's all about learning what works, not endless coding. The goal isn't perfect features—it's perfect insights.

Trust Your Gut: The Unmeasurable Data

How does Chris decide what to build? He uses a request board and trusts his gut.

That's right, intuition is data you can't measure. Don't underestimate it! After years of building products and talking to users, you develop a sixth sense for what will resonate.

This isn't about ignoring feedback. Chris meticulously tracks feature requests, but he filters them through his vision for the product. Some companies get so caught up in democracy ("most requested features win") that they lose their innovative edge.

It's not just about being nice! Building unexpected features makes your product stand out. It turns Ellie from just another app into something people can't live without.

Give them value, then surprise them!

Let Data Guide You, Not Control You

Feature flags are your friend! Use A/B testing to see what works. Let the data guide you.

Chris doesn't just build features and hope for the best. He:

1. Creates experimental features behind feature flags
2. Releases to 10% of users
3. Measures engagement, not just opinions
4. Scales up or kills features based on actual usage

Feelings are nice, but retention is what really matters. Users might say they love something but never use it. Or they might complain about a feature change but use the product more afterward.

The data doesn't lie, but it also doesn't tell the whole story. Use it as one input among many.

Curiosity: The Secret Fuel for Innovation

Here's a big one: Enjoy the process!

Curiosity is the fuel for innovation. If you're not excited about pushing boundaries, your users won't be excited to use what you create. Chris doesn't just build features because they might work—he builds them because he's genuinely curious about how they could transform productivity.

This enthusiasm comes through in the product. Users can feel when something was created with passion versus when it was just checking a box on a feature request list.

The Addiction Formula: Beyond Basic Functionality

So, dare to be different. Ignore the obvious.

Experiment, see what works, and repeat.

That's how you turn a good app into an addiction. The most successful products aren't the ones that do exactly what users ask for—they're the ones that solve problems users didn't even know they had.

Look at how Slack transformed workplace communication, or how Notion reinvented the document. These weren't responses to explicit feature requests—they were reimaginings of entire workflows.

Stop being a coding robot. Start being a product visionary. Your users may not thank you today, but they'll be addicted to your product tomorrow.

And in the end, isn't that the greatest thank you of all?