5 Steps

to  learn  what  yourcustomers  (really)  want

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Lane Halleylane@lanehalley.com

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Lessons learned

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“Software is eating the world.”

Marc Andreessen

flickr.com/photos/joi

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✦ More businesses moving online

✦ Broadband internet

✦ Connected devices (smartphones)

✦ Low start up costs

A digitally wired global economy

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“9 out of 10 new products are failures.”

www.class-­‐central.com

Steve Blank

Photo:  udacity.com

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The most expensivefeatures you build

are the ones your customers don’t use.

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Every product has a user experience

whether you planit or not.

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Who is responsible for the user experience of your product?

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“Every product decision is aUX decision.”

Josh Seiden

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You can’t just “hit it with the pretty stick”

flickr.com/photos/aleca_99

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Focus on the problem,not the solution

flickr.com/photos/wwworks

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Fall in love with a problem to solve

✦ 20% inspiration, 80% perspiration

✦ Low switching cost

✦ Find a “cookie monster” problem

 

@thinknowcommons.wikimedia.org

 

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PEOPLE

USES

FEATURES

Business  vision

NEEDS

UI  design,  wireframes,  visual  design

@thinknowflickr.com/photos/joi

“ “

flickr.com/photos/betsyweber

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The Lean Startup cycle

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The Lean Startup (UX) cycle

Prototypes  &  Experiments

QualitaTve  &  quanTtaTve  evaluaTon  

Customer  ConversaTons

Personas,  needs  and  uses

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Talking to users shouldn’t be a special occasion

flickr.com/photos/wwworks

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Five (easy) steps

1. Have a plan

2. Pair up

3. Create a conversation

4. Show the demo last

5. Share what you’re learning

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#1 Have a plan

Photo:  @thinknow  |  Atomic  Object @thinknow

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Before you GOOB*

✦ Who do you want to talk to?

✦ Where do you find these people?

* “Get out of the Building” -- Steve Blank

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Micro-segments

✦ Have the same “cookie monster” reaction

✦ Use the same jargon

✦ Congregate in communities

 

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How do you find (the right) people?

✦ Social media (Facebook, Twitter)

✦ Special interest groups (Meetups)

✦ Friends and Family

✦ Coffee shops, malls….wherever they are

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#2 Pair up

Photo:  @thinknow  |  Atomic  Object @thinknow

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Pair interviewing

Two different jobs (remember to take turns!)

• One person guide the conversations

• The other takes notes, ensures completeness

Benefits

• Easier to focus on just talking or note-taking

• Better shared understanding later

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Remember:

It’s a conversation, not an interrogation

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#3 Create a conversation

Photo:  @thinknow  |  LUXr

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Conversation tips

✦ Open and closed-ended questions

✦ Paraphrasing

✦ Body language and encouragers

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Listen for needs and goals

“If you had that feature, what would that allowyou to do?”

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Avoid leading questions

Leading: “Would it be helpful if we added feature x?”

Better: “Tell me a story about the last time you …”

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Simple interview framework

1. Warm-up questions to set context“Tell me a little about yourself and how you…”

2. Talk about real events, avoid conjecture“Tell me about a recent time when you…”

3. Express appreciation “Thanks for your time, this was helpful!”

4. Ask for permission to follow up and referrals“May we contact you again?“Can you introduce us to other people like you?”

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#4 Show the demo last

Photo:  @thinknow  |  LUXr @thinknow

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#5 Share what you’re learning

35Photo:  @thinknow  |  LUXr

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Rainbow Spreadsheet

Tomer  Sharon  /  smashingmagazine.com

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Tips for sharing what you learn

✦ Notes on cards or stickies

✦ Photos

✦ Put it on the wall

✦ Small conversations, frequently

✦ Rainbow spreadsheet

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Practice Interview

Photo:  @thinknow  |  LUXr @thinknow

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AcTvity:  PracTce  interview  

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Practice interview

1. Pair up! Choose who will be the first “architect/interviewer.” The other person is the “customer/interviewee.”

2. Architect: Conduct a 5-minute interview to learn the qualities that would make this customer LOVE the house you will design.

3. Switch after 5 minutes so each person does an interview.

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Topic Map

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AcTvity:  Make  a  topic  map

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Make a topic map (team activity)

5 min Individual activity (silent): Write stickies that answer the question “what do I wish I knew about my customer/user?”

5 min Group activity: Taking turns, read your stickies to each other and put them on a table or poster.

5 min Group activity: organize the stickies, give each group a short 1-3 word name.

5 min Individual activity: Copy the group names to a piece of paper to make a topic map.

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Lane Halleylane@lanehalley.com

THANK YOU