Choosing Features

Selecting appropriate features for the user is critical to the success of your website. Adding too many features at once can overwhelm your user and turn them away, but adding too little will never bring them back. Your goal as a web developer is to find the proper balance of features to keep the user coming back and wanting more.

There is nothing wrong with releasing your features slowly. When you first release your website, start out with only the basic features to get your users familiar with the site. When you decide which features to include, try to put yourself in the user’s shoes. Think about what you would like to see on the site as a first time user. Include only those features and see how well the site is accepted (if necessary add more). There is nothing wrong with leaving your user wanting more.

If you plan on adding features soon, let your users know so that they will check back at a later time. Set up a blog in which you track your progress through the development process, or better yet, have them subscribe to an email list and notify them when you add new features. There are plenty of ways of keeping your user in the loop.

 

Planjam's June 2006 Features

Just in case you're wondering what features you should start with and what you should add, let me share our experience. You may or may not agree with the process we went with, but at least it'll help you get a better idea of where to start.

Plan A Date

• Drag & Drop Functionality (courtesy of script.aculo.us)
• Multifaceted Lightbox to display additional information for a location (Graphics By Greg)
• Accordion Menu (courtesy of Moo.fx)
• Prototype JS Framework
• Star Rating System
• Ability To Leave Detailed Reviews
• Point-To-Point Driving Directions
• Sorting Activities By Zip Code

 

Planjam's Novemeber 2006 Features

As we evaluated the feedback we received from the users, we decided to incorporate a significant amount of new features into the website. We kept the same features we had in the past and added the following:

Plan A Date

• Optimized code to increase website loading speed.
• You can now save your date and share it with others (image upload added as well).
• Results are sorted based on their proximity to a zip code.
• Added 35,000 new activities/restaurants for California and New York State.
• Added new Nightlife content.
• Ability to email point-to-point driving directions with an option to enter a starting point.
• Additional carts can be accessed through a vertical scroll bar (as opposed to having 9-12 carts displayed on load).
• Added search functionality.

Find A Date

• Search for other daters in your area who share similar interests and want to do the same activities.

Local Planning

• Same features as "Plan A Date"
• Users have access to the same database of activities/restaurants as in "Plan A Date" (this feature is not centered around dating).
• Users can share and email their plan to friends (as opposed to sharing their date).

Local City Guides

• Added detailed information on Dining, Nightlife, Date Ideas, and Local Activities for select cities.
• Integrated planning aspects into the pages.

The find/share date feature is a good example of how to test out a new feature. Rather than having the user sign up and go through the entire membership process, we have decided to make it more of a craigslist type interface for the time being. Users simply plan their date, enter basic information about themselves, and share it with others. In the future, and depending on its popularity, we will add additional features to it. Either way, we were able to create a seemingly complex feature by utilizing the information that was already being stored for date planning.

 

 

Next - Conclusion