Federico Simionato, the Evernote product lead at Bending Spoons, discusses the app's rocky journey from a peak era with 100 million users to its recent revitalization efforts. He shares insights on modernizing the platform while balancing user needs, tackling the challenges of integrating new features without overwhelming loyal users. The conversation delves into privacy enhancements and recent pricing changes, all while envisioning Evernote's future direction in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Evernote, once a peak productivity app, struggled with user engagement and identity until its acquisition by Bending Spoons sparked a revitalization effort.
Technological modernization is central to Evernote's strategy, highlighted by real-time editing features that enhance user experience and collaboration capabilities.
A user-centric approach guides Evernote's development priorities, focusing on individual note-taking improvements while navigating pricing model changes to retain customer value.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Evernote
Evernote, a prominent productivity app established over two decades ago, gained significant attention when it launched in the first iPhone app store in 2008, peaking at 100 million users by 2014. Despite its initial success, the company struggled to maintain user satisfaction and relevance, diverting into lifestyle markets and cluttering its platform with unnecessary features, which led to performance issues and a decline in user engagement. After being acquired by Bending Spoons in late 2022, Evernote faced major layoffs and a shift of operations to Europe, raising questions about its future. However, under new leadership, the app has started to refine its identity and improve its core functionalities, signaling a potential revitalization.
Technological Upgrades and Functionality
Following the acquisition, a major focus for Evernote has been on addressing its aging infrastructure and enhancing user experience through technological upgrades. The team implemented a new architecture to facilitate real-time editing, allowing users to synchronize their notes instantaneously across devices. This marked a significant departure from Evernote's previous functionalities, addressing a critical need that had emerged in the digital workspace. Such reforms not only emphasize the importance of technological modernization but also align Evernote with contemporary user expectations for seamless collaboration.
Understanding User Needs
At the core of Evernote's revitalization is a commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of its users. The company has focused primarily on enhancing functionalities for individual note-taking rather than expanding into project management or team collaboration, which many users do not require. By engaging in direct conversations with existing customers, the team gains insights into desired features such as improved note-sharing capabilities, which informs their development priorities. This user-centric approach aims to build a more robust product that better aligns with how users prefer to interact with their digital notes.
Balancing New Features and Core Identity
Designing a productivity tool requires careful consideration of which features to introduce without deviating from the app's core identity. Evernote's team acknowledges the challenge of walking the line between enhancing capabilities like task management and maintaining a streamlined focus on individual note-taking. They are exploring ways to introduce features that meet user demands while avoiding feature bloat, which has contributed to previous performance issues. Striving to implement customization options will allow users to tailor their experience based on their unique workflows and preferences.
Navigating Pricing Changes
A significant recent change for Evernote involved restructuring its pricing model, transitioning from a long-standing free tier to a more revenue-driven approach that angered some long-time users. As the team navigates this transition, they emphasize the need for a balance that ensures existing users still see value in the service while enabling sustainable business practices. Surprisingly, retention rates have remained high, indicating that users appreciate the value they derive from the app despite the pricing changes. Moving forward, the aim is to stabilize pricing while continuously enhancing the product to justify its cost for all users.
Peak Evernote was roughly a decade ago. Since then, the product has often felt stagnant (or worse), the company churned through executives and business plans, and it seemed like Evernote was slowly turning into a zombie app. Not gone, not even forgotten, just sort of... there. For the third and final installment in our series about productivity and digital life, we sit down with Federico Simionato, the Evernote product lead at Bending Spoons. We talk about the acquisition process, how he perceives Evernote in today’s landscape, what it took to start shipping new stuff again, why Bending Spoons changed the subscription price, and much more.