Fishing vs. Friction

I classify product features as either Fishing or Friction.

Fishing: A feature based on a hypothesis. You’re guessing it might be useful to a user (and consequently, might increase adoption, sell the product, etc.).

Friction: A feature intended to reduce friction for the user. A refinement or extension of an existing feature, or a new capability that serves an existing, understood use case.

When to prioritize one over the other

In early phases, when product-market fit is unknown, my backlog emphasizes Fishing. As the customer base grows and I understand their needs, I shift toward Friction.

You might prefer a different balance, but I think it’s always useful to consider your level of certainty for a given feature. Classifying a feature as fishing or friction confronts you with your assumptions, which hopefully leads to a more deliberate decision.

This is similar to Learning vs. Production, but from a product and market perspective.

I’d also recommend reading Crossing the Chasm, by Geoff Moore.