As human beings, we tend to be attracted to new and shiny objects. Research done by a social sharing site called Buffer explored how human beings are hard-wired in our brains to seek out novelty. Part of what they uncover is that our brains have a specific “novelty center” associated with the release of neurochemicals like dopamine that make us happy and facilitate emotional bonding.

This is part of the reason why a technology like Face Unlock for your smartphone made such a splash when it debuted on iPhone X back in 2017. This was something so new and unique that you couldn’t help but marvel and say “wow, that is so cool”.

However, as sociologists and marketers alike will tell you, the wow factor of a novel experience is only part of the equation to produce a purchase decision and a satisfied user. Product utility, which is perhaps the greatest driver of purchase and product satisfaction is a result of both novelty and practicality. In other words, it can’t just be cool, it needs to solve a problem and make users’ lives better in a meaningful way.

Often in the feature prioritization process, customer inputs focus mainly on the novelty / appeal aspect of new features without adequately measuring whether this new capability will address a current pain point. This can be especially true with new technologies which are so far advanced that they are beyond easy comprehension by a typical consumer. In these cases, the feature may sound cool and compelling, but when it is brought to market months later it fails to hit the mark. It may flop not because it’s any less cool, but because it’s a solution in search of a problem rather than a feature tailor-made to address a pain point.

Below are two examples of products from the last decade that despite being cutting-edge and novel, failed to deliver on expectations – and some hypotheses for why:

• 3DTV: while technically very interesting and innovative, 3DTV failed to resonate among consumers who enjoy watching the occasional 3D movie in theaters but had no desire to consume all their media in such a format. The additional burden of specialized eyewear coupled with a niche viewing preference took a novel and interesting technology and relegated it to obscurity.

• Google Glass: while technologically very compelling, the use of AR technology in a wearable format in 2013 was beyond the scope of what an average consumer was ready to engage with. Despite its incredible technological advancement, it failed to resonate with a direct pain point and was relegated to the role of a tech toy for early adopters.

So what does this mean for feature prioritization research? How do we avoid this situation?

While there are many nuances to how exactly you can and should address this in your research, there are three key considerations that you should prepare for as a part of your research efforts:

1. Ensure you are capturing the appeal / excitement of the idea, not just of marketing language and buzzwords. While it may be useful to know that consumers want ‘next-gen gestural technology combined with augmented reality overlays in a heads-up display’ for their car – it may not address the heart of what the feature will do. Focus on both the benefits / outcomes as well as the what the technology / feature does.

2. Capture both the excitement dimension as well as the problem-solving dimension of each feature to accurately project the feature utility in-market. Whether using pairs of features / pain points, or abstracting groups of features to higher level pain points, you should be able to answer both components to give yourself a more complete picture. There are various simple and advanced ways to do this, using various forms of split sampling and / or revealed preference techniques.

3. Weigh both dimensions in your analysis relatively equally. While it may be tempting to prioritize your show-stopping features that draw a lot of attention, you must also consider whether they are just eye candy or if they will solve real problems that users are experiencing. As you prioritize your product roadmap, ensure to include a mix of both delighters and problem solvers, with the largest priority on features that are both exciting and can provide utility.

Regardless of how you do it, considering both the visceral excitement provided by novel features, as well as the longer-term logical thinking around what problem will be solved – you can ensure the features you prioritize will deliver the most impact for your product launch or evolution.