Understanding what your audience really wants is super important if you’re running a small business or thinking about starting one. You might be reading this blog because you already own a business, trying to simplify life for your current customers. Or maybe you’re exploring ideas to bring in more customers later.
When you create a product, it’s because there’s a customer need behind it. You’re solving a problem. Empathy is key here. Think of it like being a doctor—doctors ask lots of questions to understand why you have a fever, and they treat the cause, not just the symptoms. That’s the mindset you should have.
There are many ways to do user research to find out what people really need, especially if you want to create unique features.
At a high level, there are two main methods for research: quantitative & qualitative.
Quantitative research involves looking at user data, running surveys, and analyzing the results. This method helps you understand user behavior, especially after a feature is live. If you ask someone how they feel about using a feature, they might give biased answers. But by seeing how they actually use the feature, you get the truth about their behavior.
On the other hand, qualitative research is really useful when you’re building something new or just starting out. It helps identify user pain points or test out mockups and prototypes.
Doing qualitative research is almost like being a scientist. If you don’t ask the right questions, you’ll miss out on real insights—many users may not even know what they really need! Take Henry Ford’s famous saying: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
So dig deep and understand their real pain points. Remember, you’re not just building something for their complaints; you’re finding solutions to their root problems.
For example, if someone says they’re hungry and you just offer them snacks, that doesn’t fix the issue effectively. To really solve this problem, ask “Why?” five times—this is called the “5 Whys” method.
- Why are you hungry?Because I didn’t eat my lunch.
- Why didn’t you eat your lunch?Because my cook didn’t come on time.
- Why didn’t your cook come on time?Because he lives in another part of the city and usually gets late.
- Why did you hire a cook from another part of the city?Because I couldn’t find anyone nearby.
- Why couldn’t you find any cook nearby?Because I didn’t have time to search for one.
Here’s what we see: the problem isn’t just that the user is hungry; it’s that they lack time to find a cook close by. Providing snacks alone won’t help! Instead, think about offering a tool to help them find and hire someone nearby.
There are other good methods for root cause analysis too! Like the Think-Aloud Protocol—this involves participants saying what they’re thinking as they do tasks—or Contextual Inquiry—which mixes interviews with observation to see how users act in their everyday environments.
Whatever method you choose, just remember: understanding actual user needs is key! Select your approach based on where you are in your process & what your product needs at that time.