Every product builder has experienced the excitement of a new feature that seems like a sure win, only to watch it fizzle out. In the world of financial products—where user expectations are high and real money is at stake—the temptation to throw as many features as possible at the market is strong. But this feature-first approach often leads to bloated, confusing products that nobody loves. The secret to building a product that truly sticks lies in identifying and nurturing its bedrock: the one core element that delivers consistent value and keeps users coming back.
What You Need
Before you begin, gather these essential materials and mindsets:
- Clear user research – Understand who your users are and what they truly need, not what they say they want.
- A cross-functional team – Include product, design, engineering, security, and customer support to avoid silos.
- A willingness to say 'no' – You'll need to resist the pressure to add features that don't serve the bedrock.
- Metrics for engagement – Define how you'll measure whether users are coming back (e.g., daily active usage, retention rates).
- An MVP mindset – Accept that your first version will be small and imperfect, but focused.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Identify Your Bedrock
The bedrock is the single most important value your product provides. For a retail banking app, it might be everyday transaction visibility—users check their balance daily, but open accounts rarely. Ask: "What is the one thing our users absolutely cannot live without?" Conduct interviews, analyze behavior data, and look for the task users perform most frequently or complain about most when it's missing. Write down a one-sentence description of your bedrock.
Step 2: Resist the Columbo Effect
Named after the detective who always has "just one more thing," the Columbo Effect plagues product development. Once you've identified your bedrock, say no to every feature that doesn't directly support it—no matter how clever or popular it seems internally. Create a decision matrix: every proposed feature must answer "How does this strengthen our bedrock?" If the answer is weak, postpone it. This ruthlessness preserves focus and prevents the feature salad that kills many apps.
Step 3: Build a Minimum Viable Product Around the Bedrock
Your MVP should deliver nothing more and nothing less than the bedrock experience. For the banking example, that means a simple, fast way to view transactions and balances—no budgeting tools, no savings goals, no investment widgets. Test this MVP with real users as quickly as possible. Use lightweight prototypes or even a manual service (e.g., a daily email with balances). Measure whether users return to it without any other features. If they do, you've validated your bedrock.
Step 4: Shield the Product from Internal Politics
Finance apps often become battlefields for competing departments (marketing wants more upsells, compliance wants more warnings, security wants more verification). Create a product charter that defines the bedrock as the priority. Whenever a department demands a change, ask: "Does this enhance the bedrock, or distract from it?" If it's a distraction, push back. Empower your product manager to veto features that don't serve the core. This keeps the user experience clean and lovable.
Step 5: Iterate on Stability, Not Features
Once your MVP is live, resist the urge to add features to fix low engagement. Instead, focus on making the bedrock experience flawless: faster load times, fewer bugs, better error handling. In financial products, trust is everything—a glitchy balance check can lose a customer forever. Use A/B testing to refine the bedrock journey before adding anything new. Only after the bedrock is rock-solid should you consider a second core feature, and even then, repeat steps 1–5 for that new feature.
Step 6: Monitor Engagement and Reaffirm the Bedrock
Over time, user needs can shift. Set up dashboards to track daily active usage of the bedrock function. If engagement dips, investigate whether the bedrock is still relevant. Maybe a competitor has a better way to do it, or user behavior has changed. If so, you may need to redefine the bedrock—but do it consciously, not by adding features. Always come back to the question: "What is the one thing we do that users can't get elsewhere?"
Tips for Success
- Involve security early – The "narcs" (security team) can kill features if brought in late. Collaborate with them during bedrock definition so compliance is built in, not bolted on.
- Use the Rework philosophy – As Jason Fried emphasizes, smaller is better. If you can solve the bedrock problem with a simple email or SMS, consider that before building an app.
- Beware of success – Once your product starts growing, every stakeholder will want their feature. Re-read your product charter weekly to stay anchored.
- Celebrate removals – Every feature you take away that doesn't serve the bedrock is a win for clarity. Reward your team for simplifying, not just adding.
- Keep a feature graveyard – Document features you decided not to build and why. This helps future product decisions and reminds everyone of the focus.
By following these steps, you'll move from a chaotic feature salad to a focused, stable product that users rely on day after day. The bedrock approach doesn't promise quick wins—it promises lasting stickiness.