1. Exploratory Interviews

Open and exploratory interviews are extremely effective when investigating ideas at an early stage. First and foremost, you should determine what wants your users have that your product experience can meet. If you're creating a new way to find and reserve a hotel room, for example, ask them to first describe how they go about locating one. This can help you realize what is vital at each stage of the process, as well as how to deliver it. Only then do you discuss your own ideas and solicit input from users. The short book Mom Test is a wonderful step-by-step tutorial on how to validate your ideas.

2. Prototype Testing

Once you've confirmed that an idea is viable, it's time to create some prototypes to demonstrate your capabilities to users. At this point, you want to know two things: Have we found a solution to their problem that they will want to employ (value proposition)? (Usability testing) Do they know how to utilize it? The prototype walk-through can take place in person or via video conferencing. Request that the user describe what they observe and how they intend to use this new feature. Finally, you might inquire about their impressions of the entire procedure. This usually takes a few cycles until you get it right. More information on quick prototyping can be found in our article.

3. Checking Software

That Is Still Being Developed You've confirmed that your customers enjoy your new feature and can use your design. At this point, you should begin developing actual software. You can continue to confirm that the job is on schedule to achieve what your clients require while you're doing this. Before the software is completely working, you can do this with some dummy data. A remote testing tool like Usertesting is a good approach to quickly gather user input.

4. Analytics-based quantitative feedback

There should be no major surprises after you launch your software if you validated it throughout development. However, by reviewing your analytics numbers, you can see how your users respond to your user feedback in real life. This is your chance to gather large-scale quantitative client feedback.

5. Customer Satisfaction Survey as Net Promoter Score

Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys are a typical means of gauging customer satisfaction. Finally, your incremental new feature releases must add up to a complete product experience that users enjoy and tell their friends about. As a result, it's critical to monitor this high-level metric throughout time. Other departments, such as marketing managers, customer service teams, or social media teams, frequently have solid statistics on customer happiness.

Let's hear it from our industry expert. Ms. Bhuvana Subramanyan, Chief Marketing Officer at Randstad India, tells, "It definitely depends on the product or service that is being marketed. If it’s a product that is sold on an app, then in-app feedback is easy and quick. Feedback for a store or a restaurant usually is at the physical place and then followed by reviews online. I also recommend an open feedback mechanism like NPS (Net Promoter Score) that allows the customers to provide feedback 24x7x365. It is also good to get one on one feedback from the customers you are already engaged with. Simple questions like how are we doing, is there anything else we can do for you can provide great feedback. CES measures how much effort it takes for a user to complete a task on a scale of 1 to 5. CSAT is another great way to get detailed feedback from your customers. In today’s world, it’s also smart to pre-empt and understand what customers want by using the right martech to analyze their usage pattern, be it on your web page or across different touchpoints. Most of all, it’s important to ask the right questions for you to use the feedback effectively. Asking for feedback at every stage and asking for it consistently is also important".

Other Techniques

A comprehensive guide would be incomplete without including alternative quantitative approaches for gathering input, such as A/B testing or surveys. They have their place, but in general, it is preferable to obtain qualitative feedback first and then validate it using a quantitative method. You're merely validating what you already believe if you start with a quantitative method. Because your clients cannot tell you about it in a survey, you may miss an important aspect that you never considered. You may also use post-launch qualitative approaches like feedback forms and exit surveys to collect customers' direct input while they're using your product.

Want to know more about the Importance of User Feedback? Head on to our blog here.