Customer interviews seem like they should be easy but they're not. Without the proper preparation and tools, you can walk away with nothing but a list of gripes, rather than the actionable insights you were hoping for.
2. Customer Interviews are not as easy as they seem
Cranky Product Manager @ http://crankypm.com
3. A good interviewâŚ
â˘Gives you actionable insights that help you make a business decision.
â˘Leaves the customer feeling listened to
4. The key to good interviews
1.Know what questions you need answers to
2.Choose the right method
3.Talk to the right people
4.Set expectations beforehand
5.Listen
9. Choose the right method
Where are you in the development cycle?
Ideation
Requirements gathering
Concept Validation
Usability Evaluation
Customer/User Definition
10.
11. Choose the right method
Goal: Identify the features that will benefit your customers the most
Method: âtable-stakes and delighters (Kano Model)â
Requirements gathering
The questions (and therefore the method) depend on where you are in the development cycle.
12. Choose the right method
Goal: Define target personas
Method: âPersona discovery interviewsâ
Customer/User Definition
The questions (and therefore the method) depend on where you are in the development cycle.
13. Choose the right method
Goal: Find out if your product and messaging are resonatingwith target customers
Method: âTest Pitch interviewsâ
The questions (and therefore the method) depend on where you are in the development cycle.
14. Choose the right method
Goal: Find out if customers can useyour product
Method: âUsability Evaluationâ
The questions (and therefore the method) depend on where you are in the development cycle.
18. http://bit.ly/16gRZse
Are the customers and the users the same people? GrudinâsLaw: âIf the product does not benefit the people using it, it will not get used, or it will be subverted.â
21. Customers are not mind readers
â˘Just because you have been thinking about this for weeks doesnât mean they know they know about it.
â˘Tell them what your objective is
â˘Many times, in different ways
â˘Make sure they understand the kind of people you need to speak with âand can provide them
â˘Tell them how long it will take
23. 2 ears
2 eyes
1 mouth
Use in those proportions!
24. âI just want to make sure I understandâŚâ
âTell me more about thatâŚâ
âDoes this situation come up often for you?â
âI just want to clarifyâŚâ
27. Goal-oriented Interviews
â˘People donât want âfeaturesâ they want to accomplish their goals.
â˘Identify goals that are Importantand also Poorly Satisfied
â˘Create a list of âgoal statementsâ
â˘For each, ask participants to rate them in terms of Importance and Satisfaction on a scale of 1-5
28. Goal-oriented Interviews
â˘Examples for an interview in unified communications:
â˘Aim for ~15 goal statements
â˘Ask âis there anything that we missed?â
â˘If customers != users, you need different goal statements for each
Goal Statement
Imp
Sat
5
2
3
3
3
4
29. Goal-oriented Interviews
â˘Ask a lot of probing questions
âCan you tell me more about how you do that today?â
âI noticed that this is the only one you rated a â5â. Can you tell me more about that?â
âI might be wrong, but you seemed surprised by that question. Did I catch that correctly?â
30. Goal-oriented Interviews
â˘The scoring system gives the interviewee structure to think about the question.
â˘The conversation and details are more important than the numbers.
â˘Most people will answer most questions with âmediumâ (normal distribution in statistics). You are interested in the big differences.
â˘Can be turned into a survey âbut you will lose the details.
33. Table-stakes and delighters interview
â˘Table-stakes:
â˘âMust-Haveâ features. Those that have come to be expected. Creates dissatisfaction if done poorly, but no extra satisfaction if done well.
â˘Incremental:
â˘âmore is betterâ more memory, more customization etc.
â˘Delighters:
â˘Customers donât expect them (or know to ask for them) but they create great satisfaction
34. Table-stakes and delighter interview
â˘Do the goal-oriented interview
â˘Substitute features for goals if appropriate
â˘Put all goal statements/features onto index cards
â˘Ask participants to choose 5 cards that are âmust havesâ
â˘Ask them to vote on cards with sticky dots
35. Table-stakes and delighters interview
â˘Give the participant two yellow dots and ask them to place it on card(s) âthat if we could do that, it would make you want to tell your friends/colleagues about it. Even if you donât believe we could do it!â
36. Table-stakes and delighters interview
â˘You will notice:
â˘Cards selected as âmust havesâ are often not also rated as âMost Importantâ.
â˘Donât challenge the interviewee and demand that they be consistent! Ask them about the difference.
â˘When asked for delighters, people will sometimes give you new insights âYou know what would be reallycoolâŚâ
38. Test-Pitch Interviews
â˘You are planning to develop a product.
â˘Does anyone care?
Format:
â˘Slide deck presentation with decision makers in the room.
â˘Prepare them for the fact that this will sound like a pitch, but there is no pressure.
39. Key elements
â˘Start with theirproblem
â˘âWe think your challenges are x, y and z. Are those issues for you right now?â
â˘This is how we solve problem X. Does that sound like a solution that would work for you?
â˘Keep conversation at goal level (not features) early on
â˘Tell them what your product does not do
â˘âAre any of these deal breakers for you?â
â˘Tell them your roadmap
â˘âWould you move any of these?â
40. Key elements
â˘Tell them about your pricing
â˘âWould you be getting good value with these numbers?â
â˘Ask them about their procurement process
â˘âHow do decisions get made?â
â˘Ask them what stuck
â˘âIf you met your boss in the hallway after this meeting, how would you describe us to him/her?â
41. What you are looking for
â˘Are you understanding their problem?
â˘Does your description of the problem resonate?
â˘Is your pricing out of touch with reality?
â˘Are there unexpected parts of your message that are sticking?
44. Other kinds of data about your customers
Data you already have:
â˘Customer service call logs
â˘Product discussions forums
â˘Social media conversations
â˘Feature request databases
â˘Sales/Account Managers
Data you can get:
â˘Surveys
â˘Ethnographic studies