Chrys Sullivan, founder and CEO of Useagility, a Kansas City user experience and design firm, has some advice for companies looking to innovate. Rather that assuming they know what the problem is, organizations need to follow user-driven innovation practices.
“You’ve got to be solving the right problem or you’ll never get to the right solution,” said Sullivan.
It requires making a hypothesis, validating it with users, and revising the definition of the problem in light of user feedback. Sullivan makes clear that this does not mean focus groups, what she calls “the F-word.”
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“Focus groups can be helpful for initial product marketing feedback, but after that stage it’s much better to sit down with individuals and ask them to show you how they use your product or why they prefer a competitors product,” said Sullivan.
By using one-on-one interviews instead of focus groups, its much easier to see trends across the spectrum of users.
“It’s really hard to get your arms around trends in a groupthink focus group,” said Sullivan.
What users say vs. how they behave
One-on-one interviews have their limitations as well. What users say about a product or service can tell you their attitude toward it, but it may not tell you how they use it.
“Sometimes observing behavior is much more insightful than listening to what people say,” said Sullivan.
She recommends having users show you how they perform certain tasks.
Don’t just tack on new features
It’s also helpful to listen to user needs, but also to recognize the source of their problems.
“Sometimes users ask for enhancements or features,” said Sullivan. “Instead of just adding those willy-nilly, listen to them and understand the root cause.”
It may be possible to solve the root cause of the problem without tacking on several new features. Moreover, just because users think some feature would cool, doesn’t mean that it will drive conversions, user engagement, or other key business goals, according to Sullivan.
For more from Sullivan on growing tech talent in the Silicon Prairie and the future of UX design, check out our full interview from AIM Infotec in the video above.
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Special thanks to Gallup and Jim Collison from TheAverageGuy.tv.
One response to “Chrys Sullivan, Useagility: “You’ve got to be solving the right problem””
Love the quote, “You’ve got to be solving the right problem or you’ll never get to the right solution.” This is my mantra for the month.