
Ask HN: How do you find out what users want? - alinalex
I read so many times the mantra &quot;listen to your users&quot; or &quot;make products users love&quot;, but I don&#x27;t understand how do you actually do that?
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Stefstefstef
As a UX designer finding out what users want is a large part of my job.
Firstly you look at your own goal; let say you are tasked to build an app for
commuters who travel by car everyday. The client is a navigation company.

First you identify who your target audience is, your client might know some
about this but it's important to also talk to other related people. So you
start to talk to commuters, but also moms who bring their kids to school,
traffic cops, people at highway stops, anyone. At the beginning you talk about
their experiences, what do they do and why?

Then you want to formulate insights from these interviews and what you have
learned from research, for example: Commuters get annoyed by loud noises and
honking while standing in a traffic jam.

Then you could ask people who you talked to previously to come in and help
design something. (this is also a good moment to ask more questions of you
have those) Do a session about people drawing their experiences on a white
board and brainstorming together with you and other participants in how this
might be solved.

Then you build a MVP and test this with your commuters

Then you improve and iterate and test this again.

If the vibes are good you continue to develop your product.

(this is in short how it works, if you'd like to learn more and get specific
tools and techniques tech out this:
[http://www.designkit.org](http://www.designkit.org))

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benologist
Launch the smallest, easiest-to-make version of your idea as the MVP and keep
adding to it and taking from it while you try and grow it into the best
version of your idea. Every time you put out a new version the people already
using it are able to provide feedback if you talk to them. You still have to
find users but you don't have to find very many to start.

You can actually watch this process in action on Steam's Early Access, a
platform for selling games during development. Mobile app stores also provide
that feedback loop where your users are able to share their frustration or
happiness each time you update and may even segregate feedback by version for
you.

Don't confuse the smallest version of your app for a pre-registration
launching-maybe page either, that's the smallest version of a dream about
building a startup.

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oldmancoyote
I do not believe there is a way, because there is no single answer. Indeed,
the number of good answers is unlimited.

You have to look for unrecognized unsolved problems. It's the "unrecognized"
that is the bitch in this problem. "Unrecognized" might just be the _core_
feature of entrepreneurship. You have to work hard to uncover it. No easy
answers.

I suppose there are established techniques in market research that would help.
Ask someone who is good at market research.

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bsvalley
When you listen to people it sounds so easy... i'm just gonna launch an mvp
and iterrate on my users feedback. %99 of the time you won't even get one
single user. So in order find out what people want - you need to build an MVP
and go out there to collect your first user. We always forget about the second
part. It seems like an MVP would attract a bunch of users by default, who
aren't happy. All i have to do is to make them happy... at that stage you've
already past seed fundings, medias, etc.

To build something people want the first real step is collect your first
users. Then after it's everything people mentioned here...

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owebmaster
This MVP thing is bs. Why do you want to find out what users want? Is it to
make money? So you'll have to have a good idea and a good execution. 10 MVP's
of stupid ideas with clunky implementation will get you nowhere.

A good approach for good ideas is to find a niche with a problem that can be
solved with current state of technology but they are not aware of. Good old
automation.

~~~
benologist
You're only identifying a problem, what do you do once you have that idea
other than build an MVP to solve it?

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owebmaster
You build or use an already built proven work tool for the job. The first can
take months or years, the second can be immediate. A MVP vaporware is a third
but worst strategy, imo. The internet is already full of non-functional &
clunky apps, it is difficult to get traction with one more (but can happen,
for sure, I just don't think it is a good advice).

~~~
benologist
I can see the value in selling other people's software to solve a problem
you've identified but I think that is not really the theme of this thread
which is honing in on what _your_ users want. If you are building something to
test your nascent idea then is that really any different to building an MVP or
"Minimum Viable Product"?

~~~
owebmaster
benologist, what I was pointing is exactly this. Why do OP wants to know what
users want? Is it to make money? If so, I suggest to use an already built
technology in place of developing a MVP, because if he is chasing ideas
randomly, he probably will not be the best guy to develop a good product
around it in a few months, as a lot of startup teams thinks they can and keep
failing miserable. It is time to give advices in a different direction :)

~~~
benologist
I think you're covering pre-launch 'find out what users want' while an MVP and
iteration focuses on the next phase of that question, after you launch
something and want to start getting into the specifics, 'find out what _my_
users want'.

~~~
owebmaster
And your point is that any next step after wondering would be a MVP. I don't
think it is logically wrong, but I'm talking about "lean startup MVP's" that
every student is shipping like crazy nowadays, flooding the internet with
useless stuff. I don't mean that this should not be allowed, just that I don't
think this proccess is a good approach to create a well succeded technology
project. But it is good to learn more about tech, development, and fail fast
:)

~~~
benologist
I guess it's more accurate to say the next step is the P from MVP, or the
execution of the idea, the MV are optional.

MVP advocates putting your product out there at such an early stage to find
out if it's actually a terrible idea _before_ you commit to the entire upfront
cost of building the complete product. The iteration enables your users and
customers to influence product decisions as they arise. These can be positive
additions to a project, or just as importantly signal it's a bad idea that
isn't worth pursuing further.

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nnn1234
MVP + iteration is the most straightforward answer. Creating a user profile,
matching it with a list of people and asking politely goes a long way. Helps
if you are a potential user of the solution as well

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Bahamut
Some of the replies have good answers, but one other thing you can do is build
a prototype, and do some user testing to garner feedback.

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gt565k
Market research.. Focus Groups... Surveys to ask users specific questions...
Actual face-to-face conversations

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nnn1234
Agree with everything in both the replies.I am part of team thats building a
platform tostreamline that process. We are launching Feb 8 th.

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qwrusz
If you have to ask this question, I would strongly suggest looking for a co-
founder who already understands this stuff. The technical steps to do customer
research and iterative product development can be taught, but in practice you
are entering a pay-to-play minefield of false signals that eats its young.

Learning and getting good at user research takes time and money, mistakes will
be made. Don't forget your competitors are doing their own user research and
iterating too...In my opinion, many startups die right here because of founder
optimism bias on these exact "soft skills" questions you asked about.
Founders, who are smart, skilled at many things and fast learners, still
regularly underestimate time and cost to get good _and_ be better than their
competitors at this stuff (assuming the founders remember they have
competitors).

It's sad but many startups run out of money here still learning to tie their
shoes - they never even enter the real race of running a business (though they
won't admit this usually). Anyway, if you still want to learn how to "listen
to users" and "make products users love" a full explanation is beyond the
scope of HN, but here is some basic info/an analogy how it works:

Guy: Hi, sorry to bother you miss, but will you marry me?

Girl: Um, What? Who are you? Why are you bothering me? I don't know you and
anyways I have a boyfriend already. Bye.

Guy: Wait, please. How long have you been with this boyfriend? Is he perfect
for you? Marriage material? Because I can be perfect you.

Girl: Haha. No, he is not perfect. Far from it. I like him but don't love him.
Communication kinda sucks from him, he ignores my texts or just takes way too
long to reply to me. Like over 10 minutes before I get a reply. We have other
problems too, typical shit couples deal with. Wait, who are you again?

Guy: Sorry. Hold on. Writing down everything you said. Communication...Not
fast or reliable...Please tell me more of your problems. I want to marry you.
I am very passionate about marriage. I really want to eat, sleep and serve
you. Help me, help you?

Girl: You're funny. But sorry, you are not my type physically. I have to be
attracted to person I am with. Also I want to marry a guy I love, Someone who
is my best friend... I want someone who understands me, anticipates my needs
before I even know I have them, someone who texts me back in less than 10
minutes. I want someone old fashioned. So like you should pay for everything
at least at first. Really I want someone who is 10x better than anyone else,
including my current boyfriend, if you can't offer that don't bother proposing
again.

Guy: Got it. I can do plastic surgery. Consider it done. Also, I wrote down
the list of things you said you want in a husband. And I made a note with all
the problems you mentioned you were experiencing and hated. I left space in
case you think of anything else. Can you give me a few weeks to work on
myself, looks and personality and other qualities, before we meet so I can
propose again?

Girl: Wow I have never seen someone want to put in so much effort for me. Guys
are so selfish usually. Someone who put me first...if true I think I could see
getting serious and loyal to someone like that, maybe even love. But can we
meet in 2 weeks instead of a few weeks? If you are making changes for me I
want to make sure you are on the right track with small changes instead of
waiting to meet only after big changes, no? I mean you don't even know me.

Guy: Good point. I was thinking about that. I actually want to know much more
about you. More than just knowing your thoughts on relationships and marriage,
I feel like the more I know about other aspects of you the better I can
understand you and make changes I know you want. Any chance I can learn and
know literally everything about you? including your private conversations with
your friends?

Girl: Ya I don't mind if you know everything about me including my most
private info. Here is my Facebook info to start. Really looking forward to you
selling me this marriage and anything else :)

The End. Repeat for 10+ years.

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hnhnic
If you're Steve Jobs, you tell them. You're also 5 years dead.

I like benologist's reply, as well.

~~~
oldmancoyote
As I recall Steve Jobs said something more like "People don't know what they
want. You have to show them." In any event, "tell", or what ever word it was,
was _not_ the imperative. If there is such a word it was the "informative."

