This document discusses different methods for getting useful customer feedback at various stages of product development. It outlines open-ended customer interviews to learn customer needs at early concept stages. Customer prototype previews help understand how customers see themselves using a prototype product. On-site feedback tools gather insights from beta customers and those hesitant to provide feedback. Heatmap tracking examines where customers are abandoning tasks. Analytics provide data on conversion rates and feature usage to balance feedback. The document provides guidance on when to use each method and questions to ask.

1. The Right Method at the Right Time
Getting the most useful feedback from your
customers
Cindy Alvarez
PCamp Silicon Valley - April 2011

2. product completeness
scalability

3. Open-ended customer interviews
When to use this:
• No product yet - still in concept stage
• Have a product, but need non-incremental improvement
• Inherited a product, need to understand your market

4. You want to learn...
• What’s the current alternative?
• How effective is their current behavior?
• What are their frustrations?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What do they really wish they could do?
More questions at: http://bit.ly/9D5h83

5. Do’s and Don’ts
Do
• Be personal
• Ask specific questions
• Give explicit permission to talk
• Follow the emotion!
Don’t
• Talk about your product
• Ask yes/no questions

6. Customer prototype preview
When to use this:
• Built a prototype based on learnings from open-ended
interviews
• Have existing customers, trying to cross-sell/up-sell

7. You want to learn...
• Does the narrative of your product make sense to the
customer?
• How customers see themselves using your product
• Now that customers can see what they’d be getting,
what are the specific constraints?

8. Do’s and Don’ts
Do
• Tell a story
• Be opinionated / take a stand
• Follow the emotion!
Don’t
• Start with the prototype
• Promise features and timelines

9. On-site feedback
When to use this:
• Have a prototype, looking for beta customers
• Have a product, need to hear from “silent majority”
• Workflows can’t be realistically simulated (money, health,
data)
Tools:
• KISSinsights, Wufoo, 4Q, Kampyle, UserVoice/
GetSatisfaction

11. You want to learn...
• What’s making potential customers hesitate?
• What’s slowing down customer usage?
• Demographic information
• Real-time customer satisfaction
• “Little niggling things” that customers wouldn’t file a bug
for

12. Do’s and Dont’s
Do
• Ask specific questions that align with what customer is
doing
• Focus on the single most important thing you need to
know
Don’t
• Make customers do work
• Let customers vote without guidance

13. Heatmap Tracking
When to use this:
• Product and significant customer traffic
• Inherited product, no idea what’s wrong / where to start
Tools:
• Crazy Egg, ClickTale

15. You want to learn...
• Are customers noticing calls to action, next steps, critical
content?
• Where are customers abandoning forms and actions?
• What is attracting the most customer attention?

16. Do’s and Don’ts
Do
• Form hypotheses about how you can adjust user
behavior
• Set up split tests to confirm and improve

17. Analytics
When to use this:
• Have a product, significant customer traffic
• Need to balance out VOC, HiPPO requests
Tools:
• KISSmetrics, Google Analytics, CoreMetrics, Performable,
Omniture

20. You want to learn...
• Which channels are bringing you visitors who successfully
convert into customers?
• Where are customers dropping out of signup /
purchase / learning curve processes?
• Which core features are customers able to use?
• Which customers are most likely to succeed with your
product?
More questions at: http://bit.ly/fqXj5z

21. Do’s and Dont’s
Do
• Identify the most profitable / desirable actions that you
need your customers to do
• Start with questions you need answered
Don’t
• Stress about benchmark data / how do I compare to...?
• Measure things where you can’t take action against
them

22. Thank You!
http://www.cindyalvarez.com
cindy@cindyalvarez.com