A duck feature is something that’s created with the sole purpose of being removed or criticized. This is to draw the attention away from the actual features or proposal.
The duck feature should be something that is small, easy to create, add and remove. All effort on this feature should be considered wasted.
In essence it plays on that people want to be meaningful and impactful, and some can only feel valuable when they find an error, a fault or something to critique.
Duck features are malicious, but it could be used ‘properly’ against people who are always looking for a fault, error or whatnot. It should never be used to distract away from actual, real problems.
PS It is also known as the ‘hairy arm technique’.
Reference
Highlights or timestamps
Looks great! lose the duck. Highlights
duck /dək/ noun: an element added to a product design for the sole purpose of drawing attention and directing scrutiny away from other elements – specifically to appease meddling managers.
— Looks great! lose the duck. Highlights from Looks great! Lose the duck.
The ‘duck’ should be something really easy to add and remove, it shouldn’t be a huge additional effort. The duck should not be used as a diversionary tactic to deflect attention away from real bugs
— Looks great! lose the duck. Highlights from Looks great! Lose the duck.