You Only Launch Once

A couple weeks ago I was listening to the Deep Dives podcast with Jenny Wen of Figma. She was breaking down what it looked like to launch FigJam, and a small thing she said really stuck in my head.

You only launch once.

And it's true! The consideration that you get at launch is a one time opportunity.

But I already know that, so why did it stick in my head? Because what she did with the knowledge that they would only launch FigJam once. As expected, when they kicked the project off they had a laundry list of expected features a whiteboard tool should have. Features that other products in the market have, and are expected by anyone using a whiteboard. However, along the way they stumbled on ideas. Fun ideas, crazy ideas, some ideas that were good, and I'm sure plenty that weren't.

So, what did they do? Well, what do most products and builders do? Most builders focus on the list they already made. That is what users expect right? The plethora of features that would help FigJam do what...? Make them just like all the other products in the market?

Okay, you are probably able to see where I am going with this.

Jenny and her team aren't like most builders. I don't want to be like most builders. Do you? Instead of using the window before launch trying to be like every other product, focus on nurturing the ideas that make you unique. Even if it means you end up with fewer features when you get there.

Why? Because...

You only launch once. Build the laundry list next week.

Appendix

Here is the link to the conversation Jenny had with Ridd on the Deep Dives podcast.

• The art of designing for delight - Jenny Wen

A very similar conversation was had between Adam Wathan and Jason Fried about the Hey Calendar launch. I highly recommend you check it out too.

• Building the HEY Calendar with Jason Fried