Product End of Life

The product is dead. Long live the product. Sometimes in order to move a product forward you need to sunset parts or all of another product. The key here is figuring out which products to sunset, when to do it, and how to let everyone know.

How to sunset a product—everything you need to know. Sunsetting a product is tricky. Product managers want to make the right decision for the business and not disgruntle any customers or stakeholders in the process.A product can have a smooth, seamless end-of-life with users, teammates, and management fully on board. Janna Bastow explains how in this guide to sunsetting a product.
(via ProdPad)

Making space for new development by sunsetting products that no longer serve user needs. In a healthy product organization, there is a continuous cycle of research, development, support, maintenance, optimization and sunsetting that affects the success of features, processes or products. As a product person, keep your organizational goals and your audience in mind throughout this cycle. If goals and prioritization change over time, so should your product portfolio and processes. Elite Truong explains how to approach sunsetting products from an organizational mindset of abundance. This mindset suggests that as you move away from a product or feature that no longer meets your needs, you trust that you’ll get that space and time back to pursue product development that meets a greater need. 
(via News Product Alliance)

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Is Threads a threat -- or is it unraveling?

We’re wrapping up July, in which the biggest story in tech had to have been the launch, meteoric rise… and possibly, harsh fall… of the new social networking platform, Threads! Meta, the artist formerly known as Facebook, recently popped out 'Threads' in a big way, snapping up a whopping 100 million users in its first 10 days. If you’re keeping track, yes… that’s a new record for any new website or app since the launch of the internet.

At first, Threads was on fire and seemed like it could be a real, legitimate threat (much moreso than recent startups Mastadon and Bluesky). Capturing 100 million users in 10 days is no small feat (even when your other apps already have billions of users). But now… engagement has dropped. New sign-ups have waned. Is this… already the beginning of the end for Threads?

Twitter (now, known as X) had its awkward adolescent phase too. But it grew up, got a job, and carved out a niche in the social networking space. It remains to be seen if Threads can follow in its footsteps or if it will be remembered as just another "remember when" from Meta.

Sure, Threads had a starting line sprint Usain Bolt would be proud of, but as we've seen time and time again, it's a marathon, not a sprint in this game. And no amount of AI or algorithms can substitute for a unique and engaging user experience that keeps folks coming back for more.

So, is Threads the boogeyman under Twitter's bed or just another tech blip on the radar? Only time will tell. But let's remember: an explosive start doesn't guarantee a victory lap. As we watch Threads navigate this jungle, we'll either witness a masterstroke of market disruption or get a front-row seat to the latest episode of 'Tech Hype: Gone in a Flash!'.

Analyzing when to sunset a brand or product. It takes a lot to build a well-loved, revenue-driving brand. Sometimes, brands lose their luster because they can’t keep up with the times, are using outdated technology, or they haven’t gotten the investment needed to stay shiny. Whatever leads to that point, it begs the question: Is it time to sunset the brand? The team at PlanBeyond explains that when you evaluate the broader implications of brand sunsetting on customer sentiment and competitive dynamics, you’re well-equipped to make go / no-go decisions with confidence.
(via PlanBeyond)

When to sunset a feature. While Lenny Rachitsky was at Airbnb, he saw many products launched, and many sunset. He doesn’t recall that anyone regretted a product or feature being sunset. Teams waited too long to kill these products. But that’s not always the case. When Lenny polled people on Twitter, a few interesting counterexamples came up. Kill a useful feature prematurely and slow future growth—or spur the ire of your most loyal customers. Keep an unnecessary feature around for too long, and you waste precious resources on low-impact work. Based on that research, Lenny came up with a handy checklist to help decide when it’s time to sunset a feature. 
(via Lenny Rachitsky)

How To Communicate A Feature Sunset. Product managers are constantly striving to improve products, innovate, and meet the evolving needs of their users. It’s easy to fall into the trap of adding features as a default solution. However, Benedikt Kantus explains there are also reasons to remove features. Retiring a feature requires careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth transition for both your team and your users. In this blog post, I will explore the art of sunsetting a feature and provide a comprehensive to-do list for software product managers to navigate this process successfully.
(via Benedikt Kantus)