Michael Margolis, a UX Research Partner at GV and author of "Learn More Faster," shares insights from his 30+ years in UX research. He introduces the Bullseye Customer Method to accelerate learning from customers, emphasizing teamwork for effective research. He discusses crafting open-ended survey questions and the current UX job market's evolution. Furthermore, Michael highlights how AI impacts researchers and the benefits of team watch parties for collaborative analysis—ideal for anyone in early-stage product development.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Focus on Customer Conversations
Quickly get founders talking to customers without pitching or selling.
Shift them into active listening mode for valuable insights.
insights INSIGHT
Founders' Key Concerns
Founders face immense pressure to define their target customer and product.
Clarifying these core aspects early accelerates team progress and efficiency.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Prioritize Core Value Proposition
Focus on the core value proposition before diving into implementation details.
Clarify the problem and target customer first, then address the solution.
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How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
John Zeratsky
Jake Knapp
Braden Kowitz
This book introduces the Design Sprint, a five-day process developed by Jake Knapp at Google and refined with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz at Google Ventures. The method helps teams answer critical business questions by moving from idea to prototype to decision within a short period. It is applicable to teams of any size, from small startups to Fortune 100 companies, and covers various sectors such as healthcare, finance, and e-commerce. The book provides a step-by-step framework for rapid innovation, including team structuring, customer-centric mapping, and rapid prototyping and testing[1][2][3].
Learn More Faster
How to Find Your Bullseye Customer and Their Perfect Product
Michael Margolis
Learn More Faster is a guide developed by GV’s research and design team to help early-stage startup founders, product managers, and researchers quickly identify their target audience and the perfect product. The book introduces the 'Bullseye Customer Sprint' formula, which involves interviewing five bullseye customers and testing three simple prototypes in one day. This approach helps teams define their unique value proposition, understand customer needs, and align on next steps without wasting time on extensive reports or market research.
This episode is all about learning from customers...early and often. Our guest, Michael Margolis, UX Research Partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures), has made a career of helping teams do this successfully. He joins to share his Bullseye Customer Method, which is the result of his experience (it's also the subject of his latest book, "Learn More Faster," which is available for free).
Michael breaks down the Bullseye Customer Method, including best practices for recruitment, question design, and analysis. He's found that research is more successful when it's a team effort, and shares ways to promote cross-team collaboration throughout the Bullseye process, like using watch parties for share-outs. Michael also weighs in (using his 30+ years in the industry) on topics like the current UX job market, the impact of AI on researchers, and the power democratization for resource-limited teams.
It's a must-listen for anyone working on early-stage products or struggling with visibility and buy-in from stakeholders.
Highlights
06:33 Defining Core Value Proposition
16:29 Founders' Key Concerns Analysis
21:58 Clarifying Customer Understanding
26:38 Effective Open-Ended Survey Questions
31:46 Leveraging Associations for Networking
43:01 Benefits of Team Watch Parties
About Michael Michael joined GV in 2010 as the venture industry’s first UX research partner. As a UX researcher with over 30 years of experience, Michael has boosted conversion, tested new concepts, streamlined workflows, and defined bullseye customers for hundreds of companies. He helped develop the design sprint method made famous by the seminal book, Sprint. He has also written about his research work for startups at medium.com/@mmargolis.
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