New Features, Avoiding Enshittification

Every time I add a new feature to LiveGig, I'm very excited to tell users all about it. "LOOK AT THIS COOL NEW FEATURE! YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT!"

But the fact is, when users log in, they're almost always trying to get something done. My developer hubris wants to throw up a giant, flashing alert to tell them about the new hotness. But from their perspective, that's just getting in the way of the thing they came to do -- which is probably starting a live show, so it's extra annoying to have another step to deal with on top of setting up mics, amps, sound boards, etc.

(You doubtless have a favorite example of this trend among the apps on your phone. The app for my blood pressure cuff tries to sell me more of their products every time I launch it -- doubtless boosting my systolic and diastolic even further!)

But while I want to be very respectful of my users' time, I also want them to find out about the cool stuff I've added to the product. The balance I've landed on? A little red alert circle that appears in the menu and next to the "What's New?" menu item. Users have a persistent, though subtle, reminder that there's a new feature to enjoy, but only tend to it completely at their convenience -- their path to getting things done remains unobstructed. And once they check out the What's New page, the system remembers this and doesn't bug them again until I add something new.

How do you balance the desire to keep your users informed while not frustrating them with your approach to doing so?