Bug vs feature: What's the difference?
Published on: June 06, 2024
Last updated: June 20, 2024 Read in fullscreen view
Last updated: June 20, 2024 Read in fullscreen view
Recommended for you
- 20 Jan 2022
Difference between Bug, Defect, Error, Fault & Failure 23/1246 - 18 Oct 2020 How to use the "Knowns" and "Unknowns" technique to manage assumptions 22/995
- 17 Oct 2022 What is the difference between low-end, mid-end and high-end solutions of project management software? 20/1355
- 05 Jul 2020 What is Sustaining Software Engineering? 16/1196
- 01 Oct 2020 Fail fast, learn faster with Agile methodology 15/977
- 02 May 2022 Difference between CapEx vs. OpEx: Two Ways to Finance Your Software Project 12/1435
- 20 Mar 2022 What is a Multi-Model Database? Pros and Cons? 11/1068
- 03 Aug 2022 What Are OLAs? SLAs vs OLAs vs UCs: What’s The Difference? 11/974
- 01 Mar 2023 What is Unit Testing? Pros and cons of Unit Testing? 9/362
- 19 Oct 2021 Is gold plating good or bad in project management? 8/756
- 10 Nov 2022 Poor Code Indicators and How to Improve Your Code? 8/214
- 30 Jan 2022 What Does a Sustaining Engineer Do? 8/557
- 06 Feb 2021 Why fail fast and learn fast? 7/378
- 10 Apr 2022 Difference Between Forward and Backward Reasoning in AI 6/1581
- 01 Mar 2023 Bug Prioritization - What are the 5 levels of priority? 6/207
- 18 Aug 2022 What are the consequences of poor requirements with software development projects? 5/244
- 21 Jun 2022 Difference between Quality and Grade 5/703
- 24 Nov 2021 What is the difference between off-the-shelf software and customized software? 5/429
- 07 Dec 2021 What's the difference between soft freeze, hard freeze and customization freeze? 5/1133
- 31 Dec 2021 What is a Data Pipeline? 5/188
- 14 Oct 2021 Advantages and Disadvantages of Time and Material Contract (T&M) 5/795
- 08 Oct 2022 KPI - The New Leadership 4/558
- 31 Oct 2021 Tips to Fail Fast With Outsourcing 4/377
- 23 Sep 2021 INFOGRAPHIC: Top 9 Software Outsourcing Mistakes 3/413
- 22 Sep 2022 Why is it important to have a “single point of contact (SPoC)” on an IT project? 3/844
- 28 Dec 2021 8 types of pricing models in software development outsourcing 3/419
- 01 Feb 2022 Outstaffing Vs. Outsourcing: What’s The Difference? 3/567
- 05 May 2022 DAM vs. CMS: What's the difference? 3/445
- 13 Dec 2020 Move fast, fail fast, fail-safe 3/294
- 17 Feb 2022 Prioritizing Software Requirements with Kano Analysis 3/285
- 18 Mar 2022 Difference between Project Management and Management Consulting 3/323
- 15 Aug 2023 Production-Ready vs Feature-Complete: What’s the Difference? 3/157
- 10 Dec 2023 Pain points of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) 3/419
- 25 Apr 2021 What is outstaffing? 2/230
- 19 Apr 2021 7 Most Common Time-Wasters For Software Development 2/527
- 13 Nov 2021 What Is Bleeding Edge Technology? Are bleeding edge technologies cheaper? 2/459
- 03 Jul 2022 What is the difference between Project Proposal and Software Requirements Specification (SRS) in software engineering? 2/959
- 09 Dec 2021 Customer Service vs Technical Support: What’s The Difference? 1/225
- 26 Dec 2023 Improving Meeting Effectiveness Through the Six Thinking Hats 1/205
- 05 Jan 2024 Easy ASANA tips & tricks for you and your team 1/181
- 11 Jan 2024 What are the Benefits and Limitations of Augmented Intelligence? 1/436
- 06 Jun 2024 Software Upgrade vs Software Update: What is the difference? 1/217
- 14 Mar 2024 Why should you opt for software localization from a professional agency? /117
- 12 Mar 2024 How do you create FOMO in software prospects? /131
- 25 Jan 2022 What is the difference between Outsourcing and Outstaffing? /262
- 15 Sep 2022 CRM vs CDP: What's the difference? /236
- 01 Apr 2022 Dedicated Team vs. Extended Team: What’s the difference? /301
- 10 Nov 2021 PoC vs. Prototype vs. MVP: What’s the difference? /726
- 02 Nov 2021 Difference between an ESTIMATE and a QUOTE /343
- 10 Apr 2022 What is predictive analytics? Why it matters? /167
- 06 Nov 2019 How to Access Software Project Size? /236
Figuring out the difference between a bug and a feature isn't always that straightforward. But sometimes, a bug report can lead to a great feature idea.
Spotting these feature opportunities can save development costs and make your users feel heard. In this post, we'll learn how to tell bugs apart from features, find feature ideas in bugs, and prioritize them effectively.
Bug versus feature
A bug is an unintended error that causes problems. A feature is a planned functionality that improves the software.
Bugs can disrupt the user experience under specific conditions, while features should enhance it.
But in reality, the line between bugs and features isn't always so clear.
Real-world scenarios often blur these distinctions, making it challenging for product managers to navigate user feedback:
- Design decisions mistaken as bugs: Sometimes, what users report as a bug is actually an intentional design decision. For example, a productivity app might limit the number of active tasks in the daily list to encourage focus. Users accustomed to unlimited tasks could see this as a bug, when in fact it's a conscious design decision from the product team.
- Differences in user interpretation: Different users might define features and bugs differently. People - especially those not tech-savvy - often mistake any undesired behavior as a "bug" even if it's just a feature they don't understand. When Instagram first switched from a chronological to an algorithmic feed, many users first thought the disordered posts were a bug.
- Undocumented improvements: Sometimes, developers roll out minor updates or features without documenting them. Users unaware of these might encounter new functionality and mistake it for a bug. This also shows the importance of maintaining a changelog to keep users informed.
- Unintended benefits from bugs: In some cases, what starts as a bug may be embraced by users as a beneficial feature. There are many famous examples of that, so lets take a look at couple
[{"displaySettingInfo":"[{\"isFullLayout\":false,\"layoutWidthRatio\":\"\",\"showBlogMetadata\":true,\"includeSuggestedAndRelatedBlogs\":true,\"enableLazyLoad\":true,\"quoteStyle\":\"1\",\"bigHeadingFontStyle\":\"1\",\"postPictureFrameStyle\":\"2\",\"isFaqLayout\":false,\"isIncludedCaption\":false,\"faqLayoutTheme\":\"1\",\"isSliderLayout\":false}]"},{"articleSourceInfo":"[{\"sourceName\":\"FeatureBase\",\"sourceValue\":\"https://www.featurebase.app/blog/bug-vs-feature\"}]"},{"privacyInfo":"[{\"isOutsideVietnam\":false}]"},{"tocInfo":"[{\"isEnabledTOC\":false,\"isAutoNumbering\":false,\"isShowKeyHeadingWithIcon\":false}]"},{"bannerInfo":"[{\"isBannerBrightnessAdjust\":false,\"bannerBrightnessLevel\":\"\",\"isRandomBannerDisplay\":true}]"}]
Via
{content}
Explore more on these topics
Guest Blogging: The Definitive Guide
Top Trending Topics
Share This
Link copied!
Recently Updated News