User feedback is tremendously important for any business.
However, most businesses work in a zoomed in mode, and it can be incredibly easy to become disconnected from the people you are actually building your products for.
If you feel like you are no longer connected to who’s on the other side of the screen, it’s time to schedule some time to check in with your users. You can then use the feedback they give you to further drive your product development.
Not sure how it’s done?
Read on to learn the top 4 tips of using user feedback to drive product development.
1. Do In Person Testing ASAP
Many companies make the mistake of not asking for customer feedback until later on in the development stag
However, you should be getting customer feedback as soon as you have your first prototype ready.
Depending on what type of product you’re building, you may either want your customers to spend some time interacting with your prototype and asking them questions as you go, or you may want them to interact with it and then ask questions at the end.
2. Don’t Be Afraid of Lack of Structure
Oftentimes, companies strictly stick to handing out surveys or questionnaires for customers feedback.
However, this isn’t the best way to go about improving your product. Instead of rigid forms, don’t be afraid to have open, unstructured conversations about users’ perceptions of your product.
This will help you understand problem spaces with your product that you may not have even realized.
These conversations will prove to be incredibly useful later on in the development process.
You can also use a site like https://hygger.io/ to help track any changes you made to your products as a result of these conversations.
3. Schedule Regular Check In Calls With Users
Every few months or so, it’s a great idea to schedule check ins with your users about your products.
You can ask customers why they chose to use your product, how they’re using it, and what value it has added to them or their company.
One way to do this is to send out emails to your customers, and then schedule 15 min or so phone calls.
Here is a simple template you can use for your phone calls:
- What kind of team are you?
- What do you use our product for?
- What’s the best thing about our product?
- What’s the worst thing about our product?
- How did you find out about our product?
Having this type of conversation can really help you pinpoint your user’s needs.
4. Offer Live Support
Last but not least, offering live support to your customers is also incredibly important.
This can help you address any issues or complaints before they become a bigger problem.
Typically, when users have a big issue with your product, they will find your support email to issue a complaint. However, with smaller issues, they are less likely to take the time to reach out.
Live support gives your customers the ability to easily reach out, which allows you to take care of problems almost immediately.
As you can see, incorporating customer feedback isn’t impossible, and following these four tips can help you quite a bit. If you have any questions about incorporating customer feedback into your product development, let us know in the comments below.
