The Physics of Startups How to understand customers
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Jan 16, 2026 Understanding customers isn't just about interviews—it's about 'forward deploying' and witnessing their experiences firsthand. Rob shares how founders can bridge communication gaps and avoid building unwanted products by observing customers closely. He introduces frameworks like calendars and to-do lists to uncover true intentions and priorities. Real-life shadowing can expose hidden needs, leading to innovative solutions. The discussions reveal the importance of regular, direct customer interaction to drive product success.
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Shared Context Beats Perfect Specs
- Shared customer context is essential because written or secondhand communication loses critical tacit details.
- Rob Snyder says everyone on the team must experience customers firsthand to avoid costly translation errors.
Forward Deploy — Go Where Work Happens
- Do forward deploy: work alongside customers in their environment rather than rely on interviews.
- Rob Snyder recommends experiencing the job customers do to reliably learn what matters.
The Water Bottle Prototype Mistake
- Rob Snyder complains about a water bottle top that is unusable because designers guessed opening size.
- The example shows how absent firsthand observation leads to awful product decisions.