I am doing a bunch of product discovery and product usage research at work. This is what I love most: getting out of the office and talking to customers. I decided to start a series on this topic since it is so much fun and so strategic.
For this series, I am using the word “customer” broadly – to include prospects as well as existing customers who have already purchased a product, and to include both buyers and end users. This is because there is no common definition of the word “customer” and this series addresses all of the above constituencies. I will clarify where necessary in specific posts.
Here is a tentative menu of posts. It’s a work in progress. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
- Why do qualitative research?
- From personas to functional specifications
- Asking the right questions of the right people
- Common ethnographic techniques
- Using detailed interviews to build personas
- Focus groups vs. roundtable discussions
- Usability research in the lab
- Beta Programs
- On line surveys
- Customer Advisory Boards
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