The first mistake is not recognizing that there's a bit of a skill and an expertise to your initial job. When you're planning research, I find that teams don't tend to be nearly focused enough in it. It's just so easy to inadvertently bring in bias or honestly not dig deep enough for discovery. And three, you're trying to figure out what to do with your learnings.
Our guest today is Jeanette Mellinger, Head of UX Research at BetterUp and our User Research Expert in Residence at First Round.
In today’s conversation, Jeanette unspools her tested playbook for high-quality customer interviews, with particular advice for founders in the very early days of validating an idea, including:
- The three-step framework for a thorough user-research process
- The biggest mistakes she’s noticed after working with dozens of early-stage companies
- Specific advice for structuring an interview flow and crafting better questions that unlock essential insights
You can follow Jeanette on Twitter at @jnetmell
You can email us questions directly at review@firstround.com or follow us on Twitter @firstround and @brettberson.