My Framework for Product Development & Design

1st Step – Interview Your Target Customers

• Interview customers and don’t ask leading questions 
• Takes notes on your interviews
• Identify a pattern between the notes and customers you spoke to.
• Compile notes in a report I call Customer Development Information. 

When you interview

Don’t ask leading questions

“Don’t you think Excel is terrible?”  

People often lead with their assumptions and bias, and we do it without thinking. Its major pitfall many early start-up founders and product managers make, but the good news is its completely  fixable through practice and real experience.

Ask open-ended questions, such as:

“What do you value about the product?”
“Why do you care?”
“What does this do for you?”
“What is the goal?”
“What is the ideal situation?”

If you want to improve the quality of your questions, apply reflective or active listening. Anyone can learn this skill.

If the customer says, “I really love X.”

You can respond with, “So, you really love X. Is there something special about X?”

[Allow the customer to speak] Take notes.

The significance of reflective or active listening is that it allows you to echo back to the speaker what you’ve just heard, ensuring they feel understood.

It’s akin to asking, “Did I get this right?” If you didn’t capture their message accurately, they can correct you or elaborate further on “X.”

Why does it yield better results? People are less inclined to engage in deep conversations with you if they feel you’re not genuinely trying to understand them. If you show a willingness to grasp Reason A, they might then reveal Reasons B, C, D, and even Z.

This why bad sales are done by pitchers, sales people who over pitch and never listen to the customers. 

When you take notes

When taking notes, focus on their emotions, what they dislike, what they love, and what they value.

You may receive answers that either fit a discernible pattern or do not. If possible, observing users or customers without direct interviews can be beneficial, as this approach mitigates the potential for data points to be influenced by the observer or Hawthorne effect. The observer effect refers to instances where participants modify their behavior when they are aware they’re being observed.

However, my most profound insights have come through interviewing and engaging in candid, open discussions. Most people I’ve interviewed tend to be friendly and forthcoming.

Before progressing to development, engineering, or coding, it’s crucial to gather multiple data points.

If you wish to gain a deeper understanding of what people value or the psychology of humans, consider these insights I’ve derived from “The Personal MBA” by Josh Kaufman and “Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices” by Nitin Nohria and Paul R. Lawrence.

1. The Drive to Acquire (Investments)
2. The Drive to Bond (Dating Apps and Restaurants) 
3. The Drive to Learn (Courses or Certifications)
4. The Drive to Defend  ( Legal System )
5. The Drive to Feel ( Entertainment – think movies)  

your potential idea or business or product could use any of these “Drives” in combination to create perceived value around your product.

Identify patterns Statistically

Statistically, a single person’s perspective, one interview, or your personal point of view should not dictate the design of software. For the most part, the form, function, or design of a product shouldn’t hinge on one individual, unless they are an artist or craftsman.

Many products and companies have floundered because of a singular visionary who disregarded input from colleagues and, more importantly, customers.

As a guideline, aim for a sample size of at least 15, or even hundreds of interviews in broader contexts.

What works for you or a particular individual might not resonate with others. It may seem evident, but I’ve encountered numerous leaders, coders, and engineers who design based solely on personal experiences. They often find that their personal prototype, project, or business doesn’t resonate with the broader audience — it doesn’t compel them to invest.

Don’t believe me? Read the mom test because everyone loves the demo but your customer doesn’t write the check. You will find out why here. 

The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers & Learn If Your
Business Is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying to You by Rob Fitzpatrick

2nd Compile a CDI Report

After conducting interviews, I compile what I term a “Customer Development Information Report” or CDI.

What is “Customer Development Information” (CDI)? It is specific information sourced solely from customers. This data forms patterns that help determine the direction of product or design development.

Customer Development Information can be broken down into the following segments:

Thesis & Evidence:

• A problem statement or observed customer desires.
• Provide examples from each interview that are similar and point back to the identified problem or desire. (This helps establish a pattern of evidence.)
• Develop a customer profile. Do the customers share similarities in age, job positions, values, etc.?

Conclusion:

• What value do they find in a product or experience?
• How did they feel about the experience? Were they frustrated, content, or pleased?

Potential Solutions or Designs:

• Outline the UX steps:
  1. User clicks “Upload.”
  2. User drags file.
  3. User sees the upload progress.
  4. User clicks the “Confirm” button.
     
     
     

     

• Incorporate sketches to visualize the user experience steps.
• Describe the benefits to the user.

In essence, this approach centers on observing and understanding customer values, then documenting these behaviors or use cases.

3rd Step – Create a Prototype and Iterate from Feedback

Develop a prototype as quickly as possible, ensuring it aligns with your target customer. Use the CDI’s potential solution to guide your prototype’s design. Then, present this prototype to your customers and meticulously record their feedback.

Your prototype won’t be perfect; it may be misunderstood, and it might not achieve instant acclaim. However, it should aid in:

• Crafting a mission statement.
• Facilitating conversations between your company and its customers.
• Encouraging investment.
• Paving the way for a broader roadmap or vision.

This prototyping phase is often where startups face their greatest challenges.You either build the proposed solution or abandon it entirely. Some startups get bogged down in iteration and delayed release cycles trying reach perfection, failing to launch. This can lead to a loss of motivation or hope within the team.

Launch once, Launch again, keep launching and shipping until you get user engagement don’t stagnate.

4th Step Perform Usability Testing 

I highly encourage product managers, executives, and startup founders to prioritize and execute this step. However, the truth is that the perceived value of interviews and usability testing is often seen as vague, esoteric, and unimportant because it’s not based on quantitative data. We are living in an age where quantitative data is prioritized over qualitative data. Yet many business and engineering problems I encounter can be traced back to really poor usability. While your product may be unique and function as intended, if it’s unusable or perceived as unusable due to its design, then its fundamental value is diminished, making it less valuable as a product. I may receive a lot of pushback for that statement; however, usability testing is not a new concept. Successful companies like Procter & Gamble (P&G) have heavily relied on customer testing, consumer conversations, and continuous improvements. And again continuous improvement is often misunderstood or prioritizes data modeling and valued more because it is easy to understand and execute—you collect data, build models, and then optimize. Unfortunately, there is a complete lack of customer testing or usability testing in many firms today.

Additionally, CEO John E. Pepper once said, “You’ve got to sit down and talk to consumers.” Every new brand will be introduced in a test market. You can watch him say this at minute 37:36 in the video below.

Steven Krug is well known for his book “Don’t Make Me Think,” where he provides insights into usability testing and web design. While I can provide a general outline based on his principles, please note that it would be a summary and not a direct extraction. If you need detailed steps, it’s best to refer directly to his work.  Basically just watch this video or hire me to do the usability testing for you.

Usability Testing Based on Steven Krug’s Principles:

1. Keep It Simple:

   • Don’t overcomplicate the testing process. It’s better to test with fewer people more often than with many people less often.

2. Recruit Randomly:

   • You don’t need specific demographics for most tests. Any user can provide valuable feedback.

3. Test Early and Often:

   • It’s better to test at various stages of the project rather than waiting until the end.

4. Focus on Identifying Major Issues:

   • Most usability tests aim to identify glaring problems. Don’t get bogged down with minor issues.

5. Create Realistic Scenarios:

   • Provide testers with situations or tasks that real users might face.

6. Facilitate the Session Effectively:

   • Stay neutral, don’t lead the participant.
   • Allow them to think aloud, capturing their thought processes.
   • Avoid influencing their behavior.

7. Observe and Take Notes:

   • Watch how users interact with the interface.
   • Note where they face challenges or confusion.

8. Avoid Jumping to Solutions:

   • During the testing phase, focus on identifying problems, not on solving them. Solutions can come later.

9. Debrief:

   • After the session, discuss the experience with the participant. This can provide additional insights.

10. Analyze and Prioritize:

• After all sessions are completed, review your notes and identify patterns or recurring issues. Prioritize these problems based on their impact.

11. Make Changes and Retest:

• Implement fixes based on your findings.
• Conduct another round of usability tests to see if the issues have been resolved.

12. Document and Share:

• Make sure the findings are compiled into a format that’s easy for your team to understand and act upon.

These are generalized steps based on Krug’s approach on usability testing. For an in-depth understanding, it’s recommended to delve into his book directly or go to his website.