Building On Shaky Ground

There is something fundamentally sad about watching a product push forward with new features instead of fixing the issues it already has. It feels like watching someone add a second story to a house when the basement is flooded. You know it is going to cause problems down the line, yet the construction continues regardless.

I understand the internal drive. Shipping new things feels good. Writing a release post about a flashy new capability is exciting. It gets clicks and drives engagement in a way that "bug fixes and performance improvements" never will. Nobody gets a pat on the back for making sure the existing features actually work in all the places they are supposed to. But there is little point building on top of unstable foundations.

I’ve seen this pattern time and time again. Whether it is car manufacturers claiming they can build better software while failing basic utility, or the frustrations that led to me moving platforms again, if the core doesn't work, the new stuff doesn't matter. Even Apple seems intent on bolting on Gemini to Siri rather than fixing the underlying mess of the assistant itself. We are being sold the dream of a smart future while struggling with tools that can barely handle the present.

Perhaps the churn is part of the plan. As long as the new features attract enough fresh users to replace the long-time users walking out the back door, the math works out. If the rate is positive, everyone assumes all is well. Thinking users are a disposable resource rather than people trying to get things done.

That might be good business, but it isn't good product design. Being a good product is the most important thing, and that starts with working properly. Reliability is a feature, even if you can’t put it on a billboard. I’d rather have a boring tool that works every time than an exciting one that only works when it wants to.