Product development is often seen as a black box, but transparency in our process helps build trust with users and improves our outcomes. Here’s an inside look at how we approach feature development at Lumen.
The Discovery Phase
Every feature starts with user research and data analysis. We don’t build features because they’re cool—we build them because they solve real problems for our users.
User Research Methods
- Customer interviews: Direct conversations with power users
- Usage analytics: Understanding how features are actually used
- Support ticket analysis: Identifying pain points and feature requests
- Competitive analysis: Learning from what others are doing well
Ideation and Prioritization
Once we’ve identified a problem worth solving, we move into ideation. Our product team uses structured brainstorming sessions to generate multiple solutions before converging on the best approach.
Our Prioritization Framework
We use a weighted scoring system that considers:
- User impact: How many users will benefit?
- Business value: Does this drive key metrics?
- Technical feasibility: Can we build this well?
- Strategic alignment: Does this support our long-term vision?
Design and Prototyping
Before writing a single line of code, we create detailed wireframes and interactive prototypes. This helps us validate assumptions and get early feedback from stakeholders.
Design Process
- Low-fidelity wireframes: Quick concept validation
- High-fidelity mockups: Detailed visual design
- Interactive prototypes: User flow testing
- Design system integration: Ensuring consistency
Technical Planning
Our engineering team breaks down features into manageable tasks, estimates effort, and identifies potential technical risks. We use a combination of agile methodologies and continuous integration to maintain quality.
Engineering Practices
- Code reviews: Every change reviewed by peers
- Automated testing: Comprehensive test coverage
- Feature flags: Gradual rollout capabilities
- Performance monitoring: Real-time system health
User Testing and Feedback
We don’t wait until launch to get user feedback. Throughout development, we conduct usability tests and gather input from beta users to refine our approach.
Testing Methods
- Usability testing: Observing users interact with prototypes
- A/B testing: Comparing different approaches
- Beta user feedback: Early access for power users
- Analytics monitoring: Understanding usage patterns
Launch Strategy
A successful feature launch requires careful planning across multiple teams. We coordinate with marketing, customer success, and support to ensure users understand and adopt new features.
Launch Components
- Documentation: Clear guides and tutorials
- Training materials: Help users get started
- Support preparation: Ready to handle questions
- Marketing campaigns: Announcement and promotion
Post-Launch Analysis
The work doesn’t end at launch. We closely monitor feature adoption, user feedback, and performance metrics to identify opportunities for improvement.
Success Metrics
- Adoption rate: How many users try the feature
- Engagement: How often they use it
- Satisfaction: User feedback and ratings
- Business impact: Effect on key metrics
Lessons Learned
Each feature teaches us something new about our users and our process. Here are some key insights from our recent launches:
- Start with user problems, not solutions: Features that solve real pain points perform better
- Iterate based on data: Early metrics often reveal unexpected usage patterns
- Communication is crucial: Keep all stakeholders informed throughout the process
- Quality over speed: Taking time to get it right pays off in user satisfaction
Looking Ahead
Our product development process continues to evolve as we learn and grow. We’re always looking for ways to ship better features faster while maintaining the quality our users expect.
Conclusion
Building great features requires more than just good ideas—it takes a systematic approach to understanding users, validating assumptions, and iterating based on feedback. By sharing our process, we hope to help other teams build better products and create more value for their users.
