This week was supposed to be about task priority: four levels, automatic sorting, and escalation for overdue work. Halfway through testing, the group realized it was rebuilding the project-management system people were trying to escape.
“Better products often begin by removing an answer that looked essential.”
Across eight remote observation sessions, what helped someone begin was not more accurate ranking. It was one specific action they could complete now. After an open review, the working group removed priority and kept only two ideas: moving now and looking later.
The deletion removed three states from the data model and made the mobile home screen much quieter. The next test is whether the simpler model still holds when a group manages several products.
This note reflects the judgment at publication. The product will keep changing, and new evidence may overturn the conclusion.