For Coalition's risk management platform, how should we weigh adding advanced features for tech-savvy users against maintaining simplicity for less technical clients?

Introduction

The trade-off between adding advanced features for tech-savvy users and maintaining simplicity for less technical clients is a critical challenge for Coalition's risk management platform. This scenario involves balancing the needs of diverse user segments while ensuring the product remains competitive and valuable. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining user needs, business implications, and potential solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Based on the platform's current user base, I'm thinking we might have a significant split between tech-savvy and less technical users. Could you provide more details on the current user demographics and their technical proficiency levels?

Why it matters: Helps tailor features to actual user needs and capabilities Expected answer: 60% tech-savvy, 40% less technical Impact on approach: Would influence feature prioritization and UI/UX decisions

• Considering our revenue model, I'm assuming advanced features might be tied to premium tiers. How does our current pricing structure align with different feature sets?

Why it matters: Informs potential monetization strategies for new features Expected answer: Tiered pricing with basic and advanced plans Impact on approach: Could lead to feature-based pricing recommendations

• Looking at our development resources, I'm curious about our team's capacity to maintain multiple feature sets. What's our current engineering bandwidth for new feature development versus maintaining existing functionality?

Why it matters: Determines feasibility of supporting diverse feature sets Expected answer: Limited bandwidth, focused on core features Impact on approach: Might suggest phased rollout or modular architecture

• Considering market trends, I'm wondering about our competitors' approaches to this balance. How are our main competitors handling the advanced vs. simple feature trade-off?

Why it matters: Helps position our product in the market Expected answer: Mixed approaches, some focusing on simplicity, others on advanced features Impact on approach: Could inform differentiation strategy