Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
startupclass.samaltman.com
Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
1–10 of 16 posts
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#2Great lecture!
Coincidentally, my team is building a product that connects startup founders to user interviewees, specified by demographic. Looking for a few founders to test the platform for free before we launch. Let us know if any of you are interested! team@munocreative.com
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#3One of the points in the lecture was that you have to be ready to abandon a feature, even if you really believe in it, if user feedback indicates a lack of interest.
But what if it's one of those things (like TiVo and Uber) that people think, in advance, that they don't need -- but it turns out they'll be totally hooked once they try it?
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#4One of the points in the lecture was that you have to be ready to abandon a feature, even if you really believe in it, if user feedback indicates a lack of interest. But what if it's one of those things (like TiVo and Uber) that people think, in advance, that they don't need -- but it turns out they'll be totally hooked once they try it?
Aren't we also encouraged to embrace "disruptive" ideas that change the status quo? No focus groups, full of average people who are content with the default is going to give that much meaningful feedback for game changing features IMO...
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#5One of the points in the lecture was that you have to be ready to abandon a feature, even if you really believe in it, if user feedback indicates a lack of interest. But what if it's one of those things (like TiVo and Uber) that people think, in advance, that they don't need -- but it turns out they'll be totally hooked once they try it?
What matters is how you determine that user feedback actually indicates a lack of interest.
Shear mentions in the lecture that you should avoid directly asking about features or your product. "You want to learn about what's already in their heads. You want to avoid putting things there." That pretty much precludes doing things like describing your idea for TiVo/Uber to people and asking what they think. Instead, it would make more sense ask about pain points. If all of your interviews indicate that people absolutely adore the process of finding, hailing, riding in, and paying for taxis, then you'd be more justified in determining that there's a lack of interest in something like Uber.
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#6Awesome what you're doing here with the video and the transcript. But can we make the transcript not include the pauses? It really throws me off the flow of the takeways when you put all the 'Ums' and 'Ahh's there in the transcript. It doesn't add at all to the message when reading it...
"Um, so, uh - so that was Twitch. And I'm going - I want to give you guys a little bit of a, uh - uh, a little bit of an insight into, uh, with Twitch what that, what that meant going to go talk to users."
I know keeping it real is great and all but for the people who are reading and not watching, it would be awesome if some editing could be used to make the read more succinct.
"So that was Twitch. And I want to give you guys a little bit of an insight into what that meant (when) going to go talk to users."
Minor irk of course, really appreciate what you've done otherwise, thanks.
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#7Great lecture! Coincidentally, my team is building a product that connects startup founders to user interviewees, specified by demographic. Looking for a few founders to test the platform for free before we launch. Let us know if any of you are interested! team@munocreative.com
that sounds like an interesting concept, similair to part of what something I am working would like to acheive. Are you providing a structure or allowing 'interviews' to be whatever form/structure the interviewer wants?
good luck, its a problem i havent seen solved properly yet!
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#8This is timely, I have one today.
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#9The #1 piece of advice that I took away from this was: "“Who you talk to is just as important as what questions you ask and what you pull away from it."
Nowadays with things like Lean Startup Machine and Startup Weekend (which I do think serve a purpose and are valuable to building habits around customer development), I've seen prospective entrepreneurs get caught up in the MOTIONS of doing customer development and interviews thinking i.e. just getting out of the room and talking to anyone they can find on the street, instead of the real target customer that you've really thought about. I like Emmett's focus on really thinking this part through.
I've published the 31 top quotes that I picked up from the lecture here: https://medium.com/how-to-start-a-startup/31-quotes-from-emm...
Re: Lecture 16: How to Run a User Interview
#10Awesome what you're doing here with the video and the transcript. But can we make the transcript not include the pauses? It really throws me off the flow of the takeways when you put all the 'Ums' and 'Ahh's there in the transcript. It doesn't add at all to the message when reading it... "Um, so, uh - so that was Twitch. And I'm going - I want to give you guys a little bit of a, uh - uh, a little bit of an insight in…
yep it's being edited! should be a lot better now