Why Most products fail?
Why Most products fail?
Not because your product isn’t good, but because it’s TOO good
One question I get asked often when we build a new product that is 👇
How do you approach designing for users with different levels of tech-savviness?
Designing a product that works for both tech-savvy users and those who aren’t as comfortable with technology can be tricky.
The very baby steps to working on your product start with
Understanding your users
Who they are?
What’s their needs?
How tech-savvy are they?
Before you start designing, you need to understand who your users are and how comfortable they are with technology. Some users may know a lot about technology, while others may only use it when they have to.
For example, while building Speech to Note
We have had users who are simply just authors who love to use pen and paper but we're exploring technology as a complementary tool.
Students who had a casual understanding of technology, and even seniors who were relatively unfamiliar with digital products.
We had to make sure everyone could use it easily, regardless of their tech skills.
So when you understand the paradigm or the level of your users, you can then try to make sure that the simple pieces of your product are accessible to anyone and everyone on the platform.
In the case of Speech-to-Note, some users wanted nothing more than a simple note-taking function, while others were developers or enthusiasts who wanted features like integration with other platforms, automated workflows, and customizable settings.
Layer Your Design ~ Keep it Simple, But Offer More for Advanced Users
A great way to design for different types of users is to layer your design. This means the main features of your product should be easy to find and use, while more advanced options are available but tucked away for those who need them.
In Speech-to-Note, we added a feature for tech-savvy users called "webhooks," which lets them connect their notes to other platforms. But this feature is hidden in the settings, so regular users don’t get confused by it
.
To set up webhooks, tech-savvy users can go into the settings, find the option, and connect it to the service they want. After that, they can send their notes wherever they want with just a click
This layering makes sure that non-tech-savvy users can still use the product without getting lost in extra features they don’t need, while tech-savvy users can dig deeper and customize their experience.
Social media apps like Facebook or Instagram offer another example. Most users just want to create an account and start posting. But for some users who care about security, there’s an option to set up two-factor authentication (2FA).
This feature adds extra protection to your account, but it’s not something most people would know how to set up, so it’s hidden in the settings.
People who need it can find it, but it doesn’t clutter the experience for everyone else.
Design for Solving Problems, Not Showing Off Tech Features
When people use your product, they’re usually there to solve a problem, not to play around with technology. Even tech-savvy users want your product to work smoothly without having to figure out complicated settings.
A great example would be Postman, an app used by developers to test APIs, which is an example of a product built for advanced users.
Because its main users are developers, Postman is designed to solve complex problems, and it’s packed with features to help them do that.
Even though Postman is a complex tool, it’s still focused on solving a specific problem: testing APIs. This keeps it from feeling overwhelming, even for experienced users.
In Speech-to-Note, both tech-savvy users and beginners have the same goal: turning speech into text. So we made the main interface simple. Users just press a button to start recording, and the app turns their words into text.
For tech-savvy users who want more, like sending their notes to another app, the advanced options are there—but only if they want them. That way, both groups can get what they need without the product becoming too complicated.
Make Your Product Inclusive for All Users
Designing for users with different levels of tech-savviness means making your product inclusive. This means everyone should feel comfortable using it, no matter how much they know about technology.
Take Google Docs, for example. It’s easy enough for anyone to use for writing and sharing documents. But it also has advanced features, like voice typing and macros, for users who want more control.
Zoom is another good example. Anyone can join a Zoom meeting with just a few clicks, but for users who want more, there are advanced features like virtual backgrounds and breakout rooms.
These apps are great at keeping things simple while offering extra tools for those who need them.
Don’t Overcomplicate It with Too Many Features
It’s easy to get carried away by adding "cool" features to your product. But if you overload your product with too many advanced features, you risk confusing users who aren’t as comfortable with technology.
A great example of keeping things simple is Spotify. The main purpose of Spotify is to play music, and that’s the first thing you see when you open the app. It’s easy for anyone to search for a song and press play.
For more advanced users, there are extra features like creating playlists, sharing music, or even adding podcasts. But those features don’t get in the way of the basic experience.
In the end, it’s important to keep things simple and user-friendly while still offering advanced features.
"Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
Thanks for reading, and keep designing with purpose!
Before we say the final goodbye to today’s topic, here are 5 Interesting things I came across last week 👇
If you liked the “reading experience” please share this with a friend. It would mean the world to me❤️