When we create a product or improve a product, we usually do a user test. Talking to users is very important, but sometimes there can be misunderstandings. In particular, we need to be careful because the reactions or opinions of users can lead the wrong direction of product development. Let's look at three main things to be careful about. This includes feedback from general users or people around us, not our customer personas.
Compliments on the product
Compliments are nice, but they are not always a true assessment of a product. Most users try to be polite, especially when meeting someone for the first time.
How to respond: Thank them for the compliment and bring the conversation back to the topic at hand. It’s also a good idea to ask them if they actually used the thing they complimented you on, and ask for evidence.
Abstract conversation about the project
General, future-oriented, hypothetical conversations are not very helpful. It is important to focus on what you are doing now and what experiences you have had in the past. Usually, this conversation is like, "Wouldn't it be nice if you did OO?"
How to respond: Ask specific questions to encourage deeper conversations. Ask about past events and identify their pain points by asking about their challenges and difficulties.
Pride and vanity
Since users are also people, they sometimes lie when they feel like they don't know something or are being ignored. They sometimes say things as if they knew it all along, or as if they understand concepts they don't know well, or as if they spend a lot of money.
How to respond: Ask specific questions, but ask them based on time. It is easy to catch errors. And if possible, it is also a way to prepare for noise deviation by obtaining user data in advance and talking to them.
Idea explosion
Users often come up with attractive features or ideas, but they may not actually be necessary or feasible (in fact, they are nice to have, but hard to build, and rarely used...)
How to respond: Find out the underlying reason why the user came up with the idea. Find out how the user is currently solving the problem and what their feelings are. It’s also important to trust your intuition.
Conversations with users are a very important part of product development. However, these conversations can sometimes lead in the wrong direction, so it is important to carefully consider user opinions and always focus on the product's core values and goals. Understanding users' real needs and problems will be the key to product development. Finally, Song Min-ho's lyrics from Epik High's No Thank You come to mind.
The public who doesn't even know R in Rhyme became a producer / My uncle who farms is almost the head of entertainment production / My nephew has the attitude of a music critic
So, what is real user feedback? Of course, it is the customers who actually use it or the users who have their own retention or user journey map. Let's listen to the customers who use our product/service frequently, completely, or for a specific purpose, even if it is not a perfect function. Of course, don't be too biased. As I always say, startup CEOs need to have some sense of humor. Haha.
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