Do You Really Know Your Users?

User Research Through Support

Morten Lundsby - UserChamp.com

Elevate Summit, April 2016, Austin TX

In preparation for a major customer support revamp

“Let’s do some user research!”

Wanted to know more about customers’ use of products

Went to visit local business and do user testing

“I don’t have a computer”

The customer (of our software) didn’t have a computer

“I don’t have a computer”

We came from this environment

Expecting this

Or maybe this

But not this

Or rather this

Your customer’s reality is different from yours!

You have unique access to learn!

What are they already telling you that you’re not hearing?

What else can they tell you if you ask?

Look for these things

Tools Language

Time Place

What tools do people mention to you?

“What other tools have you used today?”

What words do they use to describe what they do?

“What are the most important tasks you have?”

How is time spent?

Differences between perception and reality?

What places do they mention?

“Do you all work in the same location?”

Use what you learn to help your team

Design decisions

Product integrations

Marketing partnerships

Sales communication

Keep working on the way you view your users and keep developing your skills in learning from users

and applying those learning.

morten@userchamp.com @mortenlundsby