Imagine this: your team rushes an MVP e-commerce app to market in a mad dash, celebrating the launch… only to see customers abandon it. Meanwhile, a competing app that took more time to polish the experience quietly skyrockets in adoption. This isn't hypothetical. In India, for example, fashion retailer Myntra shut down its desktop site in May 2015 to go app-only, only to roll back that decision a year later June 2016 because customers demanded a web interface . Snapdeal, another early mover in Indian e-commerce, initially chased high growth but later rebranded itself as a value-focused platform for tier-II/III users and quietly regained relevance by better matching those customers' needs . These stories show that speedy launches ("first to market") can flop if they ignore what users really want, whereas a more deliberate, research-driven approach ("right to market") can win the day.
First to Market: The Allure and Pitfalls
Being first to market usually means moving fast: launching an MVP quickly, capturing hype, and setting trends. In UX terms this often implies a ship-it culture, minimal user research, and rapid feature churn. The priority is speed and being visible in a new space. In very fast-moving or brand-new markets, that can be necessary; you do just enough research to get started and iterate after launch. But it also means cutting corners on understanding real user needs. Teams racing to be first may rely on gut, hype, or a vague vision of market demand, rather than validated insights. As one UX expert puts it, in mature markets getting the basics right; the right price, value, convenience; along with an elegant solution is critical; rushing can overlook those basics.
In practice, first-to-market projects often end up shipping without a solid product–market fit. One industry report notes that many products fail because they solve non-existent problems or are prematurely introduced to the market. Without proper user research, a flashy app may launch to silence. For example, Flipkart’s Play Store reviews reveal customers frustrated with orders vanishing mid-shipment . An angry reviewer on Reddit sums it up bluntly:
Flipkart customer service is horrible… Amazon has great service.
While these comments reflect earlier user sentiment, they highlight a timeless truth: rushing to be first often means skipping the UX depth that prevents broken flows, mistrust, and user churn. Products that launch too quickly may win the race to the store, but lose the race for the user.
Right to Market: Aligning with Users and Business
By contrast, being right to market means taking a bit more time (when possible) to ensure the product truly fits real users and business goals. In UX terms this emphasises user research, feedback loops, and iterating until you hit product–market fit. It means asking, Is this product solving a real need, and how can we prove it? rather than just How fast can we ship? As the UX community advises, even in a sprint, teams should prioritise understanding the problem and target user first . In other words, invest in customer discovery before feature frenzy.
Companies embracing right to market set up experiments and metrics early. They test prototypes or A/B tests before full rollout, and actively gather user feedback. One guide stresses: The first step in developing solutions that are easy to use is understanding customer and user needs within the context of the market… It takes market and user research to define the problem your product must solve. Likewise, achieving product–market fit means first understand who’ll be using the product and why . If that research suggests major changes are needed, a team will pause to adjust rather than push an imperfect product live.
This mindset pays off. A 2025 UX industry report finds that teams who integrate research deeply see dramatically better outcomes: up to 5× stronger brand perception, 3.6× more active users, and 3.2× better product–market fit . Another article notes that organisations are shifting from time to market to time to right – the goal is no longer being first, but being correct .
Harvard Business Review concurs: it's better to validate user needs early because fixing a poor product after launch is more expensive than validating it early . In short, right-to-market products spend extra effort upfront to ensure they answer real needs, aligning user experience with business value.
Why UX Designers Are Central to This Balance
UX designers are often seen as the make it pretty or easy to use team, but their role is far deeper, especially in the first-vs-right equation. Great UX design bridges user needs and business strategy. Designers champion the user context (Who is the real customer? What problems do they have?) while also understanding the company's model (What are we selling? How do we make money?). That intersection is exactly what separates right from just first.
From a business perspective, experience drives value. Research shows investing in UX yields massive ROI: one summary reports conversion boosts up to 400% from a seamless UX , and that every dollar spent on UX design can return many times over. HBR notes bluntly that privileging easy money over better user experience is the antithesis of customer centricity . In other words, short-term gains from shipping fast often hurt long-term loyalty and profits. UX designers help avoid that trap by validating decisions against user feedback. For example, if stakeholders want a feature, the designer will test the concept: sometimes answering, Yes it fits our target users and goals, or No, this misaligns with user context.
UX designers also keep the product on-brand. As one UX leader observes, Frequent or large deltas are a good sign that design is not aligned with the business model (or vice versa). A good UX practitioner ensures every screen and flow ties back to core business objectives (be it subscriptions, ads, retention, etc.). They ask hard questions: Do our user personas match our revenue model? Are we expecting the right customers to do the right actions? UX designers link the qualitative side (surveys, interviews, usability tests) to the quantitative (conversion rates, active usage). By grounding design in both user context and business context, they help the team launch not just fast, but right.
Practical UX Questions to Ask
To make right to market concrete, UX teams can use simple checklists. For example:
Have we validated the actual user need? We should confirm that our product idea solves a real problem. As one guide warns, products fail when they solve non-existent problems. Conduct quick user interviews or surveys early. Test early and often with representative users . If there’s doubt, pause to refine the concept.
Have we aligned with the business model? Ensure our UX supports how the company makes money. Check for any large deltas between what design envisions and what the business demands . For instance, if the goal is high retention, our design should encourage repeat use. If it’s paid upgrades, the free tier must demonstrate value. A misalignment can doom a product even if the UX is slick.
Are we launching too early and risking abandonment? Gauge readiness: an early launch might hurt adoption if core features are missing. Look for signs of churn: do test users drop off? Do reviews complain about missing essentials or bugs? The old saying applies: If you launch now, are users likely to feel like it’s half-baked? A famous stat reminds us that unvalidated launches waste enormous resources - $2.26 trillion in US software rework was spent fixing misfires . Better to delay launch slightly and avoid such waste.
What metrics will tell us we’re right, not just fast? Define success measures beyond did we launch on schedule. Track retention/churn, engagement, satisfaction (NPS/CSAT) and usage of core features. For example, a strong retention curve or high NPS suggests true product–market fit. Flipkart tracks shipping completion rates; even before launch, UX teams might track prototype usability scores. Ask: How will we know users love this product? The answers should drive whether to iterate more.
By asking these questions, designers shift the conversation from Can we ship now? to Should we ship now? This helps catch issues before they reach users.
Case Studies: Late Movers Who Won
Zoom vs. Legacy Video Apps: Video conferencing existed long before Zoom, but early players like WebEx and Skype had clunky UIs. Zoom entered later (2011) with a relentless focus on simplicity and reliability. As one analysis notes, its innovative approach and ease of use are the biggest strengths, keeping Zoom on top even though it wasn’t the first one in this market . Zoom spent time nailing the UX (one-click join, stable video, clean interface) and scaled up in the right way, whereas others had rushed early expansions and struggled with quality. Today Zoom’s adoption exploded because it got the user experience right.
Slack vs. Earlier Team Chat: Slack was not the first messaging tool, but it was the first to delight its users. By launching later, the Slack team could study earlier apps and design an elegant, responsive interface. They did two things really well… design and responsive UI that keeps evolving as per user needs. This right-to-market approach paid off: Slack quickly became the go-to business chat, outpacing earlier entrants like IRC clients or HipChat that had rushed or ignored user feedback.
Indian e-Commerce – Snapdeal and Myntra: As mentioned, Snapdeal came before giants like Amazon India, but it lost ground initially because it didn’t fully solve local UX challenges. Afterward it relaunched Snapdeal 2.0 with a new focus: targeting value-seeking customers in smaller cities . By deeply understanding that audience (who wanted a wide selection at low cost), Snapdeal carved out 13% of the market even though it wasn’t first. Likewise, Myntra’s 2015 app-only experiment flopped when users (especially women) clamored for the classic website . Reading the feedback, Myntra restored its web interface. These pivots show that listening to user reactions beats riding hype.
User Voices: Earlier app-store feedback makes this pattern even clearer. One frustrated Myntra customer shared:
My experience with Myntra was the worst. The worst thing… is their return policy… I wanted to cancel my order… They also didn’t refund my WHOLE amount.
This reflects a period when Myntra’s rushed processes, especially around returns and cancellations, hurt user trust. Flipkart faced similar criticism. Some users complained that orders repeatedly showed as Out for delivery before getting cancelled, making the entire experience feel like a scam. And on Reddit, one user summed it up sharply:
Flipkart customer service is horrible… Amazon has great service.
While these reviews come from earlier phases of these platforms, they highlight a consistent truth in product development: early movers often expose cracks in UX that later entrants can learn from and fix. Companies like Amazon India and even Meesho capitalised on this by refining onboarding, delivery flows, customer support, and return processes, ultimately offering smoother, more trustworthy experiences.
Trade-offs & Risks
Being slower has risks: a gap can let competitors grab your users or funding. A lengthy research phase might seem to miss a wave. But hurrying can be costlier. As noted, rushing without fit causes massive rework . There’s no one-size answer; it depends on context (market maturity, competition, resources). The UX team’s job is to articulate the trade-offs. When would an MVP test key hypotheses (risks wasting time if wrong), and when would delaying for more validation save resources? For example, if solving a brand-new problem, early user tests could be lightweight prototypes. If tweaking a well-understood domain, invest in fine-tuning from the start.
A practical approach is to mix timelines. You might roll out a basic version of core features quickly (first-to-market) while continuing to polish others (right-to-market). The key is communication: the whole product team: designers, developers, stakeholders; should agree on what good enough for launch looks like. Regular check-ins with user feedback can prevent the project from diverging too far from what matters.
Conclusion: Make “Right to Market” Your Mantra
In the race of product development, accuracy trumps speed. UX designers can champion a right to market mindset by building it into every phase: establish clear metrics (retention, NPS, usage growth) before launch, embed quick research sprints even under pressure, and always link design to user and business goals. A simple checklist to carry forward might include:
Know your user: Define target personas and their key needs with evidence.
Validate continuously: Prototype and test features early to catch misalignments.
Align with strategy: Ensure each screen and flow serves a business objective (revenue, engagement, etc.).
Measure wisely: Choose metrics that reflect real user success (not just downloads or launch date).
By practicing these steps, UX designers help products become not just first, but right. After all, it’s better to be the tortoise that wins the race with a well-tuned product than the hare who stumbles out of the gate. And as research confirms, products built the right way end up driving far more user engagement and business value than those rushed to market.
Sources: Industry research and case studies (UX trends reports, HBR articles, e-commerce analysis) and real user reviews from app stores and forums . These inform the points above.
