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Creeping featuritis, a creeping featurism variant, is a continuously evolving syndrome in which features added to enhance product popularity result in increased complexity and reduced efficiency. Creeping featuritis is rampant in computer software and hardware.
Creeping featuritis is also known as feature creep and featureitis. A creeping featuritis spoonerism is feeping creaturitis.
Techopedia Explains Creeping Featuritis
Creeping featuritis occurs when added features exceed software functionalities and create overload. Gradually, a product’s original cohesive design is butchered and incongruously jumbled with proportionally complex features.
Although limited product changes are beneficial, creeping featuritis is problematic and creates long-term issues, as follows:
- New users require assistance when learning how to use the product.
- Newly incorporated features stretch development schedules.
- Product costs incrementally increase, depending on features and associated complexities.
- Unintended effects result in loss of revenue.
Creeping featuritis is avoidable. Development teams must focus on essential features and functionalities and establish fixed product designs during initial lifecycle stages.
When creeping featuritis is in process, it may be resolved or stopped by redefining user start-up options. For example, new users may begin an application with standard features, and advanced users may begin with the most current application version.
