The early user research playbook for founders — Jeanette Mellinger’s expert advice for validating your idea with high-quality interviews
Apr 20, 2023
01:11:25
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Quick takeaways
User research provides valuable qualitative data for product development by speaking with well-focused individuals.
Effective user research involves planning, conducting, and analyzing research findings using the Zoom in, Zoom out framework.
Asking one short question at a time allows for more thoughtful answers and improves the depth and quality of conversations.
Deep dives
Understanding the importance of user research
The podcast episode emphasizes the importance of user research in product development. It highlights that speaking with a few well-focused individuals can provide valuable qualitative data that helps identify patterns and gain insights. The podcast also discusses the common mistakes and traps that founders and product leaders often fall into during user research, including biases and asking leading questions. It provides practical tips for planning and conducting effective user research, such as setting clear goals, finding the right participants, and asking open-ended questions to uncover unexpected insights.
The three-step process of effective user research
The podcast episode outlines a three-step process for effective user research. The first step is planning research, which involves being focused and setting clear goals and learning objectives. The second step is conducting research, where interviewers need to be mindful of biases and avoid asking leading questions. The episode suggests asking questions in different ways and probing for deeper insights. The third step is analyzing research findings, emphasizing the importance of debriefing after each conversation and actively looking for evidence that supports or challenges hypotheses. The episode also recommends using the Zoom in, Zoom out framework to structure conversations and gain a deeper understanding of user needs and behaviors.
Tips for better user research conversations
The podcast episode provides tips for conducting better user research conversations. It emphasizes the significance of avoiding confirmation bias and acquiescence bias by asking neutral and open-ended questions. The episode suggests focusing on both behaviors and attitudes and asking questions in multiple ways to uncover valuable insights. It also highlights the importance of grounding conversations in the context of participants' lives and businesses. Additionally, the episode emphasizes the value of sharing early-stage concepts and obtaining constructive feedback from participants, encouraging them to share their unfiltered thoughts and ideas about the concepts presented.
Effectively presenting early-stage concepts
The podcast episode discusses effective ways to present early-stage concepts to participants. It encourages grounding the presentation in the context of participants' needs and reminding them that the concept is at an early stage, making their constructive feedback crucial. The episode suggests using the Zoom in, Zoom out framework to structure the conversation and ask for feedback on specific aspects of the concept. It advises avoiding biases and asking open-ended questions to elicit honest responses. The episode also recommends probing for both positive and negative feedback, as well as asking participants who the concept would be good for and who it would not be suitable for.
Improving Conversations by Asking One Short Question at a Time
In this podcast episode, the speaker emphasizes the importance of asking one short question at a time to improve conversations. Asking multiple questions in one go can limit the depth of responses and prevent contradictions or nuanced answers. By asking one question at a time, it allows people to provide more thoughtful and comprehensive answers. This approach also signals that you want to listen and gives people space to fill in the silence. Asking one short question at a time can lead to more productive and insightful conversations.
Determining Willingness to Pay through Behavior and Extreme Questions
Another key point discussed in the podcast is the challenge of figuring out willingness to pay in user research. Instead of directly asking about pricing, it is recommended to inquire about existing behavior and spending habits. By understanding how users currently invest in related products or services, it provides insight into their willingness to pay. Additionally, the use of extreme questions can help gauge their threshold for pricing. For example, asking how they would feel about a much higher price than expected can reveal their upper limit or range for payment. By combining an understanding of behavior and using extreme questions, it becomes possible to assess the value proposition and pricing of a product or solution.
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
