I’ve been working with a couple of organizations recently that seem to be trying to add user, member, or author features at an unprecedented rate. I wanted to jot down some thoughts and opinions I’ve had on this as we go through this journey with them.

First, I understand that every organization feels pressure to add features. More journeys, more variations, more channels, more everything. This is great, but my mantra to them through this endeavor has been that “more only works when it improves something.”

Feature creep is expensive. Focus is transformational.

Features should map to outcomes, not curiosity

Teams often overestimate how much users will engage with new capabilities. Features that serve few visitors create a maintenance burden without real benefit. Even if you can automate the entirety of its maintenance, you still have to maintain the code and systems that maintain it, upgrade dependencies, etc.

The most valuable experiences are the ones that users adopt.

Improvements should support the authoring experience

If authors struggle to manage what has been built, the platform becomes fragile. Scaled complexity without scaled governance leads to slowdown and stress. Saving an hour on a task a single author does once a month is not as important as saving one second on a task that four authors each do forty times a day. The latter saves an hour and twenty minutes a month on average.

Invest where authors feel it most.

The best digital experiences are edited, not stuffed

Saying no is a strategic capability. Teams that protect clarity deliver stronger journeys, cleaner content, and faster results. Focus creates momentum. If you need help telling your boss “no,” reach out. I’ve helped clients say “no” to internal executive stakeholders in a way that doesn’t feel like “no,” reinforces your digital leadership, and gets those internal stakeholders behind your decision.

Heading into 2026, the organizations that prioritize simplicity, clarity, and sustainable growth will see the most impact. Focus is how success scales.