Indie Hacker Playbooks

Filtering Feature Requests Without Diluting Positioning

Filter requests against product differentiation, tier boundaries and core clarity

Definition

A feature-request filter separates customer feedback from product decisions. It tests whether a requested change reinforces the product's core job and differentiation before it enters the roadmap.

Perspectives

Tibo (2026-09-03, Web)

Collect the request, then reject it when it obscures the core function, gives away value reserved for a higher tier, or erases the workflow difference that makes the product worth choosing. Revid.ai keeps full-video generation central rather than adding every request for manual scene-level control.

How to apply

  • Fits a product with a deliberate workflow trade-off and a legible alternative in the market; clarify that difference with Positioning a Mobile App Around a Core Desire.
  • Route repeated underlying problems to Turning Customer Fixes into Retention Systems instead of treating every proposed feature as the solution.
  • Use Revid.ai as a single founder-reported example, not proof that less control always retains more users.
  • Not a fit when a request exposes a broken core promise, accessibility barrier or required integration rather than preference drift.

Limits

  • The source does not report request volume, retention by feature cohort or customer losses caused by saying no.
  • Revid.ai is Tibo's own product, so the example is not an independent comparison of workflow strategies.

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