Building Features Isn’t Enough: Designing for the User
Building iBrand taught me that feature-complete doesn’t mean user-friendly. My testers struggled to navigate it, so I used the app as a first-time user. I found the gap and redesigned onboarding to guide users toward value.
- #iBrand
- #Lessons
One of the biggest lessons I learned after building iBrand:
Having all the features built doesn’t mean you’ve built a great product.
At one point, I had iBrand almost exactly where I wanted it.
The product was ready.
The tasks on my list were completed.
The features were built.
But something still felt wrong.
My testers were struggling to use the app.
Instead of immediately adding more features, I decided to approach the product differently.
I opened iBrand and used it as if I were a completely new user.
No prior knowledge.
No understanding of how the backend works.
No idea where the next feature was hiding.
And that's when I found the gap.
As developers and founders, we often build products with our own understanding of the system in mind.
But users don't know what's on the next page.
They don't know why an input is required.
They don't know that the button they just clicked will take them to an important feature.
They don't know what you expect them to do next.
That's our job.
A good product shouldn't make users figure out how it works.
It should guide them through the experience.
One way I addressed this in iBrand was by building an onboarding flow that doesn't just introduce the app — it guides users through the process of building their brand.
That experience helped me understand something important:
Don't just build the functionality. Build the path that helps people discover and use it.
I've put the onboarding experience live here:
I'd love for you to try it out and tell me:
As a first-time user, did you understand what to do next?
Your feedback would genuinely help me improve iBrand.