We've been planning this session for a while. While everyone's been hacking away crazy products, it's important to take a minute to think whether users need this.
There's no one better to take us through this than Dharmesh Ba. Dharmesh is the founder of Business Hero and has been writing India Notes which is an amazing piece of work around user insights.
If you've missed the session or if you'd like to go through it again, here's the session video - https://youtu.be/aFR17zYN_QI
Here's the notes from the meeting:
Key Takeaways
- User research is crucial for building products people actually want and use
- Good interviews involve listening 90% of the time and asking probing "why" questions
- Aim for 12-15 in-depth interviews to start seeing patterns emerge
- Focus on understanding people's lives and problems, not just pushing your product idea
- Build a culture of customer insights across the organization, not just in research teams
Topics Introduction to Applied AI Club
- Weekly Saturday live sessions on AI topics, free to join
- ~1000 members in WhatsApp community for discussions
- Videos posted for free on YouTube
Importance of User Research
- Easy to build products now, so figuring out what to build is key challenge
- Nobody cares about your product unless it solves a real problem
- Goal is to avoid building something nobody wants
- User research helps uncover truth about customer needs
Conducting User Interviews
- Semi-structured conversations, not rigid surveys
- Prepare interview guide with intro, questions, conclusion
- Listen 90% of time, ask probing "why" questions
- Don't talk about your product idea, focus on their life/problems
- Take detailed notes, record if possible
- Aim for 45-60 min conversations that feel effortless
Analyzing Research Data
- Look for patterns after 12-15 interviews
- Don't obsess over finding one absolute truth
- Goal is getting closer to understanding users, not perfect data
- Clean and organize data, but do synthesis/analysis yourself
Building Research Culture
- Democratize research skills across organization
- Create channels for all employees to share customer insights
- Engage with frontline staff insights, don't dismiss them
Challenges and Tips
- Recruiting participants takes effort, leverage networks
- Compensate participants' time, but avoid cash payments
- Be aware of cultural nuances and power dynamics
- Practice getting past surface-level problems to deeper insights
Next Steps
- Dharmesh to share sample interview guide template
- Video and notes to be posted on YouTube and emailed to attendees
- Attendees encouraged to attend future sessions and share on social media
Here's the entire recording of the session.