We talked about the Problem Interview and various tips & techniques, such as:
- Keep a "perimeter" -- don't go too far outside the topic
- Who/Where/What/When/Why questions (from journalism)
- Why validate?
- Are there any customers?
- Assumption: Your plan A won't work
- No validation = no repeatable sales process
- Beware of confirmation bias: Tendency to seek the answers you want to hear
- Problem interview vs. Solution interview (very different)
- Remember: Can pivot around the business model, solve different problems
- Do you need a script? Helps keep things on track - vs. map or outline
- But more open-ended discussion lets you discover a lot more
- Customers are like kids -- easy to lead them, and have them agree with things they don't actually want
- Should be a conversation, not a formal interview
- They'll tell you the symptoms -- you need to determine the problem
- Keep doing the interviews until you know what the answers are going to be
- Problem: Looking for what's "broken"
- Important: What people say vs. what they do is often very different
- Methodology doesn't prevent you from still missing the mark on a "must have" problem
- Failed products lead to the next one -- always learning
- Answers change in different contexts -- anonymously vs in a group (observer effect)
- Maximize the comfort level to get honest answers
- Warm them up: Ask about themselves, make environment safe
- Technique: Parrot back responses
- Lets them confirm, helps them feel more comfortable
- Discover people's motives
Another great session!
Next week I'm going to be in Orlando on business (I know, poor me) so hopefully someone else can take a few notes.
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