The summary of an excellent book, in my opinion.
I recommend it to anyone who is engaged in UX research, wants to develop their product or create something new.
The book teaches how to ask the right questions in order to get the most useful answers.
The book has a lot of examples of building dialogues, gives advice on how, where and when to conduct an interview. Useful information sea. In the abstract, I tried to give squeezes of the most useful.
Some dialogues are transmitted in full, because they show very well how it is necessary and how not to ask questions in order to get the necessary answers.
"Mom test"
“The mom test is a set of simple rules that help you formulate the right questions that even your mom can’t lie about” (c)
the so-called. the message we put in the message
Mom test failed
A son: “Listen, Mom, I have an idea for a new business. May I discuss it with you?"
(I'm going to open my soul to you. Please spare my feelings)
Mama: "Yes, dear, of course" (You are my only son and I'm willing to lie to protect you.)
Son: "You like your iPad, don't you? And do you use it often?
Mama: "Yes" (You gave me this answer and you got it)
Son: “Would you buy an app like a cookbook for your iPad?”
(I'm asking a hypothetical question filled with optimism, and you know what I want to hear from you.)
Mama: "Hm…" (Do I need another cookbook at my age?!)
Son: “It will only cost $40. It's cheaper than hardcover books."I will ignore this slurred remark and continue to talk about my great idea.)
Mama: "Well I do not know…" (Do you have to pay for apps?)
Son: “You can share recipes with your friends and use the iPhone app to make shopping lists. And there will be videos with the chef you love so much ”(Please just say yes. I won't leave you until you do)
Mama: “Yes, son, sounds tempting. You're right, $40 is a good price. And will there be illustrations for the recipes?” (I validated the price without making an actual purchase decision, gave a non-committal compliment, and suggested adding a feature to appear interested)
Son: "Yes, sure. Thank you mom, you are the best! (I interpreted this conversation completely wrong and took it as confirmation of my innocence.)
Mama: "Do you want lasagna?" (I'm afraid, son, you have nothing to buy food for yourself. Please eat some)
Mom test passed
Son: "Hi, Mom! How is your communication with the new iPad?
Mama: “I literally fell in love with him! I use it every day"
Son: "And what do you usually do with it?" (So, we asked a general question, so in response to it, we probably will not learn anything of particular value.)
Mama: “Nothing like that ... I read the news, play Sudoku, chat with my friends. The most ordinary things"
Son: "What did you use it for the last time?" (Clarification of the real picture on specific examples, obtaining specific data)
Mama: “As you know, my dad and I are planning to go on a trip. And I was looking for possible accommodation options ”(She uses her gadget, combining business with pleasure. It didn't come up in an answer to a question about "common" usage.)
Son: "Did you use any app for this?" (This question can be called leading, but sometimes a slight push is needed to move the conversation in the direction we are interested in.)
Mama: “No, I searched for information on Google. Didn't know there was an app for this. And what is it called? (Young people use the App Store to find apps. And mom is waiting for you to give her a specific recommendation. And if this is true in a broad sense, then in the future, finding a reliable sales channel other than the App Store will play a critical role.)
Son: "How did you find out about the other apps you use?" (By analyzing interesting and unexpected responses, you can understand behavior patterns and the motives that underlie them.)
Mama: "The Sunday paper has a section with a weekly overview of applications" (Can't remember the last time you opened a newspaper? But, as you can see, traditional advertising tools can be useful in working with clients like your mom.)
Son: "It's clear. By the way, I saw that a couple of new cookbooks appeared on the shelf. Where did they come from? (As a rule, in any business idea there are several weak points. In this case, this is both the transmission channel - an application for the iPad, and the product itself - a cookbook.)
Mama: “The usual Christmas present, that's all. I think Marcie gave me this one. I didn't even open it. Like I need another lasagna recipe at my age?! (Aha! In this answer we find grains of gold. As many as three: 1) the elderly do not need another ordinary collection of recipes; 2) the gift market appears to be stable; 3) perhaps young chefs are a more promising segment, since they are not yet familiar with the basics of cooking)
Son: "What was the last cookbook you bought for yourself about?" (For vague answers such as "I don't buy cookbooks at all", ask for specific examples)
Mama: “Yes, yes, when you asked, I remembered: about three months ago I bought a recipe book for vegans. Your father is trying to switch to a healthier diet, and I thought I could add some variety to the vegetable dishes.Another grain of gold: even experienced cooks may be interested in specialized or original cookbooks)
Continue the conversation. Turning it in the right direction, you can ask mom about whether she searched for recipes using the iPad and watched cooking classes on YouTube.
Conclusions:
The first conversation showed that this idea was no good. The second gave food for thought.
Why? What was the difference between the second conversation and the first? Mom couldn't lie to you because you didn't talk to her about your idea. A little mysterious, right? We find out if people are interested in what we do without even mentioning it. We talk about them and about their lives.
- Talk to them about their life, not about your idea.
- Ask about specific things that have happened in the past, not about views or opinions about the future.
- Talk less, listen more
Good and bad questions
List of questions to ask for the most useful answers and questions to forget about
"Do you think this is a good idea?"
Terrible question! Only the market can tell if your idea is good. Everything else is nothing more than opinions.
If your interlocutor is not a competent industry expert, you will only indulge your own weaknesses with a high risk of hearing a lie.
It would be more correct to ask potential clients to demonstrate how they are doing this work now. Ask them what they like and dislike about the job. Ask what other tools and processes they tried before they settled on what they use now. Are they actively looking for something to replace it with? If so, what was the stumbling block? If not, why not? What are they losing money on using current tools? Do they have the money to buy better instruments? Then summarize all the information received and decide for yourself whether your idea is good.
Golden Rule: opinions are useless.
“Would you buy a product that does task X?”
Bad question.
You ask for opinions and hypotheses, addressing overly optimistic people who want you to be happy.
Almost always in such cases, people answer: "Yes", which deprives such questions of any meaning.
That's right: ask how they cope with task X now and how much money they spend on it. Check how long it takes. Ask them to elaborate on how problem X was solved the last time. If the problem remains unresolved, ask why. Did they try to find solutions? Were these solutions not effective enough? Or did they not even try to google it?
Golden Rule: any forecasts for the future are lies, and overly optimistic.
"How much would you pay for X?"
Bad question.
Nothing better than the previous one, and besides, the numbers are more likely to play a cruel joke on you. After all, the numbers seem so true and reliable.
How to fix this issue? Just like everyone else: ask about things that really happen. How much is this problem costing them? How much are they paying now for her solution? What budget did they allocate for this? I hope you have already noticed a certain trend.
Golden Rule: people will lie to you if they think you want to hear a lie.
“What features should your dream product have?”
Not a bad question, but only on the condition that it will have a good continuation.
The value of a product comes from understanding why customers need certain features. After all, you don’t want to limit yourself to collecting only requests for the implementation of any functionality. And you are not co-creating a product with its future users. However, the motivation and constraints that underlie their requests play a very important role.
Golden Rule: people know what the problems they face are, but don't know how to solve them.
"Why does it bother you?"
Good question. Lets find out the motives. He explains "why" this is so.
Golden Rule: until you understand what the interlocutor's goals are, you will "shoot blindly".
"What are the consequences of this situation?"
Good question.
He draws a line between "I'll pay for these problems to be solved" and "Yes, these problems bother me, but I can quite get used to them." Some problems have large-scale and costly consequences. Others simply exist, but do not play any significant role. It is advisable to learn to distinguish one from the other. This will give you important information about the price you can request.
Golden Rule: Some problems are not actually problems.
"Tell me more about what happened the last time?"
Good question.
Ask your clients, as far as possible, to demonstrate the situation rather than describe it in words. Your source of information should be their actions, not opinions.
Seeing what is happening with your own eyes, you can better understand and analyze unclear situations. But if you can't be in the thick of the real thing, you can greatly benefit by asking for details about how things unfolded last time.
A careful study of the entire algorithm of actions helps in one fell swoop to get answers to a number of questions: how did they allocate time, what tools did they use, with whom did they communicate? What limitations do they face every day and in general in life? How will the product you offer fit into this daily routine? What tools, products, software, and tasks does your product need to integrate with?
Golden Rule: By observing how clients cope with tasks, we see real problems and limitations, and not how they are perceived by clients.
"What else were you trying to do?"
Good question.
What are they using now? How much do they spend on it, what do they like and dislike about it? What will be the benefits of these upgrades and what challenges will customers face when migrating to the new solution?
Golden Rule: If potential customers have not tried to find a solution to the problem themselves, they will not pay any attention to the solution you suggested (and will not buy it).
“Would you pay X dollars for a product that does task Y?”
Bad question.
The fact that you included numbers in your question does not correct the situation. This question is bad for the same reason as the others - people are overly optimistic about what they could do and tend to answer in a way that makes you happy.
Besides, it's just your idea, not their own life.
"How are you solving this problem now?"
Good question.
In addition to information about the process being studied, you will receive a price target. If clients are paying £100 a month for a temporary duct tape patch, you know how much you're talking about.
On the other hand, they may have paid £120 to an agency this year to maintain the site you're suggesting replacing. In this case, you are unlikely to want to talk about £000. Sometimes both situations described above occur at the same time, and you have to choose how to present yourself correctly. Do you want to replace the £100/year web application or offer your services to replace an agency that is paid 1200 times more?
Golden Rule: Although people are rarely ready to tell you with certainty how much they will pay you, they can often show what is of value to them.
"Who will finance the purchase?"
Good question.
It is absolutely not necessary (although it is possible) to ask it if the client is a private person, but for the B2B sector this question is really important.
This way you will know from the budget of which department the purchase will be paid and which other employees of the company have the authority to “push through” the planned transaction. Often you have to communicate with the wrong people who manage the budget. Your future presentations will be completely useless until you figure out who makes the decisions and what matters to them.
Knowing how purchasing decisions are made can always be turned into a repeat sales algorithm later.
"Who else should I talk to?"
Good question.
Yes! This is the question that should be asked at the end of every conversation.
Building your first few survey conversations right can be a daunting task, but by attacking an interesting topic and learning how to properly communicate with people, you will quickly acquire numerous customers who will recommend you to others.
If someone doesn't want to give you a recommendation, that's fine too. No need to insist. You will realize that either you ruined the communication by your own actions (for example, being too formal, insincere, or intrusive), or the clients do not care about the problem that you propose to solve.
Take any positive remarks from these people with a high degree of skepticism.
"Are there any other questions I should ask?"
Good question.
As a rule, by the time the meeting ends, its participants understand what you are trying to convey to them. Since you are not an expert in their industry, they can just sit and be silent until you completely lose sight of something important. By asking about it, you give them a chance to politely steer your questions in the right direction. And they will!
This question can be compared to a crutch - you will discard it as soon as you learn how to correctly ask questions and study the specifics of the industry.
Golden Rule: people want to help you but rarely do so unless you give them a good reason.
Source: habr.com