Know Your Users and Their Real Problems - A complete guide on user discovery
Learn a better way to solve root-cause of the problem
As a product developer, one of your most significant responsibilities revolves around identifying which ideas are not only good but also when it's the optimal time to implement them.
A good idea alone may not be enough. It should align with the current state of the product strategy. This means evaluating proposals, feature requests, or innovations against user needs, market trends, and business goals.
By the end of the article, you’ll be able to -
Know the better way to understand the user's needs and identify the real problem
How to approach the user for an emerging product
How to better interact with users for an existing product
Find ways to solve a problem with good analysis of the existing ideas
How to plan unintended consequences
The product leader needs to have a problem-solving mindset. Ensure that solutions genuinely address critical needs. Focus on identifying real problems faced by users or the organization. This approach involves -
Comprehensive research
User feedback
Deep understanding of pain points
To understand the user's needs, you need to understand their behavior. A few questions that I always prefer to have answers to:
How do they behave in a given scenario?
Which segments behave in the same way?
What’s the user demography?
Why does one segment behave differently than the other?
What are the major differences in the different segments you identified?
Which of those criteria matters to you the most?
You can take the customer discovery frameworks during this phase which you can read at https://aishwaryachukkapalli.substack.com/p/3-fascinating-customer-discovery
The other important aspect of identifying a problem from the user data is, to be sure you have identified the real root cause. And, how to identify that? Ask yourself if you understand the problem users going through. Seek clarity by asking open-ended questions that help you grasp the problem's scope and impact.
I prefer the user interaction to be free-flowing, instead of asking them a specific set of questions and limiting the quality of discussion. However, by the end of the discussion you should be able to answer -
How long has the problem been occurring?
Who are the users affected?
What’s the context of the issue?
If you need more help with the problem discovery during user interactions, below is the set of questions. These particularly help to find a new set of problems, which are most probably overlooked by competitors.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your role?
Can you walk me through a recent experience where you encountered a challenge?
What was your driving force to achieve a significant goal in your work or personal life?
Describe a specific situation in which you needed to find a solution or make a decision. What led you to that point, and how did it unfold?
Could you share a story about a specific goal you're working toward and the steps you're taking to achieve it?
Think about a product, service, or experience that significantly improved your life. Can you describe how it fulfilled your needs or exceeded your expectations?
Describe a situation where you had to choose between different options or solutions. What guided your decision, and what were the results of your choice?
Could you share a story about what this future looks like for you and how it would impact your life?
Describe an instance where you had to adapt to a new environment or technology. What was the learning curve like, and how did you overcome challenges?
If you are working on an existing product, like me, the below set can come in handy.
What is your experience with similar products or services?
What specific tasks or activities do you use it for?
Can you describe a recent problem or difficulty you experienced?
What frustrates you the most when using our product?
What goals or objectives do you have when using our product?
Can you walk me through the steps you take when using our product?
Is there a specific order in which you complete tasks with our product?
Have you used any similar products or services to ours?
What do you like or dislike about these alternatives?
What made you choose our product over others (or vice versa)?
Are there any features or improvements that would help you achieve your goals?
Is there anything else you'd like to add or share about your experience?
Once you understand the problem and have a clear empathy map of the user persona, go back to the product perspective.
Have you identified any problems from the user feedback you gathered?
Does the problem align with our overall product strategy?
What does data say about the existence of this problem?
What led to this problem in the first place?
Are there underlying issues or dependencies we need to address?
Are you sure you have collected enough data?
The last question is the most important. How much data is enough data? Well, we do not have a well-defined answer for that. But, when you start seeing patterns in the users and are able to match them with the existing segments, then you can assume you have enough user data to move to the next step.
The next step is to gather ideas. Before that, make sure your entire team is on the same page with understanding the problem.
Do they clearly know which problem they are trying to solve?
And, why is it required to solve?
Does everyone know who our potential customers are?
It’s important to make sure you as a team have a common understanding. Invite questions and polish the problem statement you are focused on solving. Once you have a well-defined problem statement, organize the brainstorming sessions.
Invite as many ideas as possible. I always find it wonderful to have many brains thinking to solve one problem in many different ways. Discuss their way of approach to a solution. Evaluate why one idea is better than the other. Consider the below factors to finalize a solution.
Feasibility
Potential impact
Alignment with your product goals
Available resources
Risk assessment
Long term viability
It’s always a great idea to keep a record of all the proposed ideas/solutions. Consider how the introduction of a new element might affect other aspects of the product or the user experience.
Conducting impact assessments
How might implementing this feature as requested affect other parts of the product?
Are there potential conflicts with existing features or workflows?
Product analysis
Are there potential conflicts with existing features or workflows?
Could this change introduce complexity or confusion for users?
Risk analysis
What are the security and privacy implications of this feature?
What measures can we take to mitigate any negative consequences?
Effective problem-solving and solution selection in product management involves a combination of user research, data analysis, collaboration, and strategic thinking. Throughout this process, it's essential to maintain a user-centric approach since success ought to be measured in terms of user satisfaction.