How to create a user interview?
“The fundamental activity of a startup is to turn ideas into products, measure how customers respond, and then learn whether to pivot or persevere. All successful startup processes should be geared to accelerate that feedback loop.” — The Lean Startup
When starting with a new business idea we can hardly wait to build it. We want to have a quick launch to be in the market as early as possible. But, this is not the way we recommend to entrepreneurs. This is a fatal mistake that can result in building a product not needed by the market.
Before starting to develop your product you should talk to almost everyone you can reach. Talk to your professionals, fellows, potential customers, mentors, suppliers, investors and so. Eventually, you may refine your startup idea or even you may throw it into the trash bin. Don’t feel bad if you throw it away. You will have your money and time saved by not developing it.
Sometimes entrepreneurs don’t ask others just to avoid hearing negative feedback. But ultimately, they will face with their users. Why shouldn’t we face with the truth before developing the product?
Product.io is an online tool for entrepreneurs to interact with others for evolving their business idea and as a result developing the right product for the right market. It provides many features to collaborate with cofounders, potential users, mentors, fellows etc… User Interview is the one of those interaction tools.
The interview item allows you starting an interview for any purpose, distributing it to your audience by inviting them as contributors, collecting the answers and analyzing them with your teammates. It is a great way to get customer insights and opinions of the professionals.
Interview is a great communication method for an entrepreneur. You can get customer insights, learn more about their behavior, their problems and so you can define and prioritize your product’s features.
After creating your interview, you can distribute it to your target group by inviting them as contributors. When you click on “+” icon on the viewer, you will have the screen below.
Contributors will receive a notification with a unique link to access the interview.
You will see all respondents as a list on the left hand side of the viewer. To see their answers just click on any user. You can also have a real time chat with them on the chat area.
Your users will not be exactly telling to you what to build. But, with the right kind of questioning, you can have a healthy foundation that guides your product development. You don’t have to create a product that customers are asking for. And just don’t do it. Customer feedback is a very valuable input but it is you to decide whether that will change your product direction or not.
Tips for Creating User Interviews
Here are some tips for you to create a better user interview:
- Know your potential users much better than you know your kids
- What is their major painpoint on their daily routine?
- What can make their lives easier?
- Keep it short, should be completed in less than 10 mins.
- Ask open-ended questions. Do not lead or direct the user.
- You are not with your expert hat here, you are just an observer.
- Do not talk about your product. The goal is to carry out your research, not to make a pitch.
- Define your goals and always keep them in mind
Some great questions from Charles Liu.
- What are you trying to get done? (Gather context)
- How do you currently do this? (Analyze workflow)
- What could be better about how you do this? (Find opportunities)
Creating the feedback loop is the vital step of a viable business.
