Conducting user interviews is crucial in the startup process as they provide valuable feedback and insights to improve the product. The importance of understanding target users and gathering feedback is highlighted through the experiences of Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch. User interviews help identify the target audience and their needs, and can be conducted with a diverse range of users to gather comprehensive insights. When conducting user interviews, it is important to focus on understanding underlying problems rather than specific feature requests. Building and testing a minimum viable product (MVP) before investing significant time and resources is crucial. User interviews with non-broadcasters and non-users are also important for expanding the market and driving product growth. The most common mistake in user interviews is focusing on showing the product instead of understanding the users' thoughts. Getting buy-in from the rest of the company can be challenging, but recording user interviews and playing them for the rest of the company can help influence their thoughts. Skype interviews are recommended for interactive feedback, while language barriers can make user interviews with non-English speakers challenging. User feedback, both through on-site tools and user interviews, is crucial for understanding product flaws before launch. Focusing on a specific segment and engaging with game publishers are important strategies for startups in the gaming industry. To give good user feedback, it is important to have users talk extensively about their thoughts, likes, problems, and context, and to understand them as individuals.
Introduction
- Conducting user interviews is crucial in the startup process
- User interviews provide valuable feedback and insights
- Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch, shares tips on how to effectively conduct user interviews
- User interviews help improve the product
First startup
The speaker shares their experience with their first startup, Kiko Calendar, highlighting the importance of understanding target users and gathering feedback for success.
- The speaker built and sold their first startup, Kiko Calendar, on eBay.
- The startup did not go well due to a lack of understanding of target users and their needs.
- The experience taught the speaker the importance of talking to users and gathering feedback for a successful startup.
Second startup
The importance of talking to users in a startup is highlighted in this video about the second startup of Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch. The key points include recognizing the market potential of watching video games online, acquiring content for broadcasting, conducting user interviews, using insights to make product decisions, and establishing a dedicated division for user communication.
Talking to users
The importance of talking to users to determine the target audience for a product is emphasized. Key points include understanding who to talk to, asking the right questions during user interviews, gaining insights from both viewers and broadcasters, and the need for careful thinking and user judgment in identifying the target user.
Lecture focused note taking app
Creating a lecture-focused note-taking app to enhance the experience of taking notes in class or while listening to a lecture online.
Key points:
- Improve the current state of note-taking
- Collaboration features
- Focus enhancement
- Multimedia enhancements
- Gathering information about desired features
Who would you talk to?
Conducting user interviews for startups is crucial for success. To identify target users, make a list of five people or types of people to interview. Consider subsets based on areas of study and note-taking habits. Selling to college students can be challenging due to limited spending. For a note-taking app, target college IT administrators, college students, and parents of college students. Understand the needs of different user groups to have a broad understanding of the market.
User Interview
User Interview Summary:
The most profound aspect of the text is the exploration of a college student's note-taking habits, including the use of different mediums and tools for note-taking.
Key points:
- The college student, Stephanie, uses her laptop for text-based notes and pen and paper for complex diagrams.
- Stephanie utilizes Google Docs and Evernote for digital note-taking, with a preference for Google Docs for sharing and collaboration.
- Collaboration is valued by Stephanie, but she primarily relies on her own notes for studying.
- Personalizing notes is important for effective studying.
- Going back to notes for future reference and preparation is mentioned.
- The interviewer acknowledges time constraints and focuses on understanding the user's note-taking habits rather than the content of the app.
Not interested in features
When conducting user interviews, focus on understanding underlying problems rather than specific feature requests. Design the solution to the problem, not the requested features. Avoid getting attached to individual requests that may not align with the product vision. Talk to a diverse range of users to gather comprehensive insights and identify potential problems worth solving.
One feature on top of Google Docs
Adding a feature to Google Docs that allows for smaller notes and details within a collaborative document could convince users to switch to a new product. To validate this idea, user interviews should be conducted to gather feedback and insights. Two ways to validate the idea are building and releasing the product or conducting further research.
Validate the idea
- Avoid asking people if they are excited about a future feature when validating an idea
- Feedback on a future idea may not align with the actual reception of the built feature
- Ask specific questions about the feature's functionality instead
- Build a minimum viable product to validate the idea
Hack something together
The most profound aspect of the topic is the importance of building and testing a minimum viable product (MVP) before investing significant time and resources into a project.
Key points from the text include:
- Start with a small, incremental feature or extension to an existing product to test its usefulness.
- Get feedback from users and have them commit to paying for the product upfront as validation of interest.
- Gather feedback to improve and iterate on the product.
Justin.tv Broadcaster Feedback
The most profound aspect of the Justin.tv Broadcaster Feedback is the importance of comparing different groups of people and their level of engagement with the service.
- Feedback from Justin.tv broadcasters included requests for features such as clearing the banned list in chat rooms and editing titles of highlights.
- Competitors were mentioned as having cool features like polls and personalized chat tags.
- Positive feedback was received regarding the absence of ads and fewer trolls in chat.
- Addressing specific issues may not be the biggest problems since users are still willing to use the platform despite these issues.
Competitor Broadcaster Feedback
Competitor broadcaster feedback revealed key concerns from users, including the desire for simultaneous channel switching, a revenue sharing program, making a living from gaming broadcasting, and video stability in Europe. The feedback identified areas for improvement and emphasized the importance of engaging well-informed users who have tried multiple services.
Non-Broadcasters
- Conducting user interviews with non-broadcasters is important
- Non-broadcasters have unique perspectives and needs
- User interviews can help uncover valuable insights and improve products or services
Non-Broadcaster Feedback
The most profound aspect of the topic of non-broadcaster feedback is the importance of gathering insights from non-users to drive product growth.
Key points:
- Talking to people who are not using or competing with your product is crucial for expanding the market.
- In the context of gaming broadcasting, the majority of people are non-users, and their feedback is valuable for improving the product.
- Examples of feedback received include the need for faster computers, focus on training for tournaments, and concerns about strategy exposure.
- The company worked on improving broadcasting software and integrating it into gaming platforms like Xbox and PlayStation to address these concerns.
- Users provide feedback on desired features such as polls and child accounts, which have not been built yet, but the feedback itself is important.
Where were the issues?
The speaker emphasizes the importance of conducting user interviews to identify and address actual user problems. They explain that relying solely on data analysis can lead to ineffective ideas, while focusing on user feedback leads to successful features. User interviews help understand and solve user problems, despite potential disappointment in flaws of cherished features.
- Conducting user interviews is crucial to identify and address user problems
- Relying solely on data analysis can lead to ineffective ideas
- Focusing on user feedback leads to successful features
- User interviews help understand and solve user problems
- Potential disappointment in flaws of cherished features
Audience question
The most profound aspect of the text is the importance of understanding the audience's questions and addressing them effectively.
Key points:
- Understanding the audience's questions is crucial for effective communication.
- Addressing the audience's questions helps build trust and engagement.
- Removing irrelevant information from the summary improves clarity and conciseness.
The most common mistake
The most common mistake in running user interviews is focusing on showing your product instead of understanding the users' thoughts. Other mistakes include asking about your own preferences and not talking to the right users. It is crucial to find the right users and be willing to invest time and effort in finding them. Fortunately, most people are willing to share their opinions when asked.
- Showing the product instead of understanding the users' thoughts is a common mistake in user interviews.
- Asking about your own preferences instead of focusing on the users' needs is another mistake.
- It is important to talk to the right users, even if it requires time and effort to find them.
- Most people are flattered to be asked for their opinions and are willing to share their thoughts.
How hard was it to get buy in from the rest of your company?
- Convincing others to support your ideas can be challenging
- Overcoming this obstacle requires building relationships and trust
- It is important to clearly communicate the benefits and value of your ideas
- Providing evidence and data can help persuade others
- Being persistent and patient is necessary in gaining buy-in from the rest of the company
How hard is it to get buy in from the rest of your company?
Getting buy-in from the rest of your company can be difficult, but one effective way to do this is by recording user interviews. By fully engaging in the conversation without the disruption of taking notes, you can build trust and influence their thoughts towards building the right thing.
- Building trust is important in getting buy-in from the rest of your company
- Recording user interviews allows for full engagement without the disruption of taking notes
- Playing these recordings for the rest of the company can influence their thoughts and guide them towards building the right thing
Skype interviews for recording
- Conducting user interviews over Skype for recording purposes is the topic of discussion.
- Interactive interviews are important and can yield unexpected responses.
- Skype or in-person interviews are recommended for interactive feedback and extracting more information.
- Email interviews are less effective due to the lack of interactivity.
- Skype interviews can be easily recorded with the interviewee's consent.
User interviews - Don't speak your language
User interviews with people who don't speak the same language as you are difficult and can lead to a lack of understanding of their needs. This can result in products working better in English-speaking countries compared to non-English speaking countries. Companies have tried to address this by hiring translators or finding representative individuals who speak both English and the local language, but this still doesn't provide a truly representative sample. This language barrier makes it challenging for companies to build successful markets abroad.
- User interviews with people who don't speak the same language can lead to a lack of understanding of their needs.
- Products may work better in English-speaking countries compared to non-English speaking countries due to language barriers.
- Companies have tried hiring translators or finding representative individuals who speak both English and the local language.
- These approaches still don't provide a truly representative sample.
- The language barrier makes it challenging for companies to build successful markets abroad.
Channels used and do you compensate
The video discusses the channels used for user interviews and whether compensation is provided. The key points are:
- Channels used include on-site messaging systems, email, and in-person meetings at events.
- Users were not typically compensated for interviews, as it was believed that if they were unwilling to discuss the problem being solved, they were not the right target audience.
- However, users had no trouble discussing payment-related topics.
User Feedback
User feedback is crucial for understanding product flaws before launch. There are two types of user feedback: on-site tools and user interviews. User interviews are especially important for early-stage startups.
Focus on a specific segment
- Focusing on a specific segment is crucial for startups
- Targeting people already interested in desired behavior is easier to convince
- Achieving quick wins and gaining traction is possible with this approach
- Video game industry example shows shift towards a more consolidated approach
Game publishers
Game publishers play a crucial role in the gaming industry, especially for small startups. As startups gain traction, engaging with game publishers becomes essential. User interviews with game publishers are increasingly important for Twitch, as they become more proactive in the space. Continuous user interviews are necessary because the pool of people important to the product will change over time. Neglecting to talk to new people can lead to the development of less successful features. User feedback is vital for product improvement.
- Game publishers are important players in the gaming industry
- Engaging with game publishers becomes crucial for small startups
- User interviews with game publishers are increasingly important for Twitch
- Continuous user interviews are necessary to adapt to changing user needs
- Neglecting to talk to new people can result in less successful features
- User feedback is essential for improving the product.
How do you give good user feedback
To give good user feedback:
- Have users talk extensively about their thoughts, likes, problems, and context.
- Understand users as individuals to comprehend their desires.
- Look for individuals who are willing to talk a lot and provide a comprehensive picture during user interviews.