Do you think early users care about design or just function?
I’ve been thinking about how much design quality actually matters in the earliest stages of a product.
Some users don’t seem to mind rough edges if the tool genuinely solves a problem. Others instantly bounce if the UI doesn’t feel “trustworthy.”
As founders, we often obsess over every pixel but maybe early adopters just want momentum and clarity.
What’s your take?
Would you rather ship a rough MVP fast or delay for a polished first impression?
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In my opinion, this highly depends upon on product category.
If product category is like entertainment or fun, the User experience is must.
If product category is like utility and user has to pay for it, it better be working and solving 99% of their problems.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@vu3ozm Yeah, that’s a great point context really changes the rules.
If it’s entertainment, the experience is the product. But for utility tools, reliability wins every time.
The best ones somehow blend both they work flawlessly and still feel smooth to use.
@vu3ozm @alexcloudstar No actually I don't think in entertainment too people need UI if they badly want to watch something that's why piracy and copyright thing exist. I think in every industry there are desperate users who need it the most, just it's never easy to reach them.
@vu3ozm 100%! This is not a once-size-fits-all sort of thing.
Klariqo AI Voice Assistants
Yeah that's an everlasting debate like chicken and eggs haha. I feel lately new AI tools are kinda blurring the gap, with new AI tools like lovable, replit or any AI for that matter, that can whip out a frontend fairly fast.
But I personally feel, there should still be some level of polish in UI and UX before shipping.
Doesn't have to be full-on gradient backgrounds or animated waveforms level of polish, but it should at least be easy to navigate.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@ansh_deb Yeah, totally AI really changed that balance. You can spin up something decent-looking in hours now, which makes the “design vs function” gap smaller than ever.
I agree though a little polish goes a long way. It doesn’t need to be flashy, just clear, usable, and pleasant enough that people don’t bounce right away.
Triforce Todos
Do you think early adopters actually care about design?
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@abod_rehman I think it depends on what kind of early adopter you’re talking about.
If they’re technical or problem-driven, design usually comes second to functionality. But if they’re coming from a non-technical space, good design can be the trust signal that makes them even try the product in the first place.
So maybe the real answer is: early adopters don’t need beauty, but they do need clarity.
DeepTagger
If users need a complex map to navigate, then we've built a maze, not an MVP 😅
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@talshyn Haha, that’s a great line. If users need directions to use it, we’ve already lost them. MVPs should feel simple even when the logic behind them isn’t.
Droidrun
Great question! 😊
Honestly, we’ve been actively discussing this within our team, how much time and budget should go into design early on. As you can imagine, the devs have different takes on it.
Our experience so far: early adopters don’t need a polished design, they care more about what the product can actually do. But at the same time, a clean and thoughtful design can absolutely help with conversion and credibility, especially for broader audiences.
It’s a trade-off, and my biggest learning is: it really depends on your target user.
If you’re building for early technical users, a rough MVP often wins. But if you’re going more mainstream, design starts to matter much sooner.
Curious how others here think about it too!
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@pe_lae That’s a really balanced take and I totally agree with the “depends on your target user” part.
Technical audiences will happily deal with rough edges if the problem is real, but mainstream users often judge trust through design first.
Been in the dev tools space for 5 years, working with dev-first companies like Clerk and Mintlify. I would nuance it a bit.
Developers do care about the craft. If they certainly don't care about flashy, fluffy marketing sites, they do value quality software. Take @Linear for example. Craft is part of their DNA, their USP. [1] So it is at @Resend. "No detail is too small" is part of their philosophy. [2]
To quote @Stripe’s CEO, @patrickc: [3]
Collison to conclude:
[1]: Linear Method
[2]: Resend's philosophy
[3]: A Business State of Mind with Patrick Collison (2023)
IXORD
I think that in most cases, users are put off by terrible design; only a few use it because of the functionality. But if the design is simple while the product remains functional, that’s the sweet spot, because people love simplicity :)
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@ixord Absolutely simplicity really is that sweet spot.
minimalist phone: creating folders
It needs to be pretty enough to orientate yourself in functioning the tool. :D
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@busmark_w_nika Haha, exactly! Just pretty enough so you don’t get lost using it. The rest can come later.
I’d say function comes first, but design still matters more than we think. A product can be scrappy, just not confusing. If users can’t find what they need, they won’t stick around long enough to care how useful it is.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@matthew_charles1 Exactly. Clarity is part of good design too. Even a minimal MVP needs some structure so users don’t get lost right away.
Cal ID
Function wins early (surely), but some basic design goes a long way.
If users know where to click and don’t get stuck, then rough edges are easy to forgive.
Clean and Clear > Fancy – especially for first launches.
I released Cal ID for beta users, and I got some really unexpected insights through PostHog.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@sanskarix That’s a great mindset. Clean and clear is underrated. Love that you’re using PostHog too data from real usage always beats guessing.
I think having a nicely designed app attracts the users at first, then the function retains them if its super useful for them
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@luiscalvillo Exactly. Design pulls people in, but function makes them stay. The combo of both is where real product love happens.