The Psychology of Feature Requests

If you have been in the picture enough you will find out that often time people say "Building exactly what users ask for is a myth"

This is something I've heard countless times — frankly

On the surface, it makes perfect sense. Users experience the pain, so surely they know the solution.

But after working across fintech, education, blockchain, and open source communities, I've realised something that has fundamentally changed how I approach feature requests.

Truth is, people are very good at describing what frustrates them but they are not always the best at designing the solution — which is perfectly normal.

Most feature requests are less about the feature itself and more about the frustration that inspired it.

A feature request is a symptom, not a specification. My doctor friends would say a simple fever can mean anything, goal is to find what it actually means 👌🏽

When someone asks for a new feature, they're usually trying to solve an immediate problem.

Their brain naturally jumps from "I'm stuck" to "this is what would fix it."

I've seen teams spend weeks building exactly what users requested, only to discover that the complaints never really disappeared. Not because the engineering was poor, but because the team solved the request instead of the underlying problem

A simple example

Imagine customers repeatedly ask for a "Reverse Transaction" button after sending money.

At first, it sounds like users want the ability to undo transfers.

But after digging into support tickets and speaking with customers, the real issue isn't reversing successful transactions. Most users made the transfer correctly they just became anxious because there was no immediate confirmation that the recipient had received the money.

In many cases, a clearer transaction status, instant notifications, or a more transparent payment timeline reduces the demand for a reversal feature without introducing the complexity and regulatory challenges of actually reversing completed transfers.

The request wasn't really about reversing payments — It was about reassurance.

This happens in open source too

A contributor may open an issue asking for better documentation.

At first glance, it sounds like the documentation needs a complete rewrite.

But after a short conversation, it becomes clear they only got stuck on one installation step — which is normal. Instead of rewriting dozens of pages, adding a single screenshot or clarifying one paragraph solves the issue for everyone who follows.

Sometimes the smallest improvements have the biggest impact because they address the real source of friction.

Where product and project teams get it wrong

One of the biggest mistakes teams make is treating every feature request as a requirement.

Good product management isn't about collecting requests and shipping them as quickly as possible. It's about understanding why the request exists in the first place.

The same applies to project management. A project can be delivered on time, within budget, and exactly as planned, yet still fail because it solved the wrong problem.

Success isn't measured by whether a feature was released — It is measured by whether the user's experience actually improved at the end of day or implementation.

A different way to listen

These days, when someone asks for a feature I try not to think about implementation first.

Instead, I want to understand what happened that made them ask for it, which often shift changes the conversation completely.

Sometimes the requested feature really is the right answer or it isn't. Either way, the goal remains the same: solve the problem, not just the request.

Because people don't usually ask for what they truly need, they ask for what they believe will remove their frustration. As builders, our responsibility is to uncover the difference every time!

This time, I dropped my pen beside a sweet cup of tea. , a product + project guy.

Until Next time — I'm Harmony Do well to Like, Follow, Comment, Subscribe and Share 🎉

- Written with a purple pen

Originally published at https://harmonyelendu.substack.com.