The best early-stage founders, we know, have an incredible pulse on their customers and often a personal connection with the first set of 100 customers! A direct connection with customers helps them empathise with their problems and focus on delivering a solution that delivers an outcome rather than simply output for their customers!

There is no substitute for ‘User Feedback’ towards developing a great product.

Talking to users can be an incredibly valuable and insightful experience, but it's important to approach it in the right way.  Often, user feedback need not be verbal. For instance, the founders of AirTable would sit down with users to see what they were actually using the product for! This is especially powerful when you are building a horizontal product to unlock new use cases!

A founder I know uses a note-taking app to remind him of scheduling 5 user interviews every week and maintains copious notes. Fundamentally, the best startups are those in which the founders retain a direct connection with their users.

It is your responsibility if you are the CEO, CTO, or CMO. It is part of your work to interact with customers! One of the best ways to learn how to do this is by reading "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick. In this book, Fitzpatrick provides a framework for how to talk to users in a way that elicits valuable, honest feedback without leading them or steering the conversation in a particular direction. He calls this approach the "Mom Test," because it's designed to be like the way you would talk to your mom about a new idea or project you're working on.

Here are some key takeaways from "The Mom Test" that can help you effectively talk to users:

1. Don't pitch your idea or ask for opinions on it. Instead, ask open-ended questions that allow users to talk about their own experiences and needs. For example, instead of asking "Do you like my app?" try asking "What do you typically use apps for?"
2. Avoid leading or biased questions. For example, instead of asking "Don't you think my app is better than the competition?" try asking "What do you like and dislike about the app you're currently using?"
3. Listen actively and pay attention to what users are saying, rather than just waiting for your turn to speak. This will help you understand their perspective and uncover valuable insights.
4. Take notes and summarize what users are saying. This will help you remember key points and avoid misinterpreting or forgetting important details.

By following these tips and applying the principles, you can effectively talk to users and gather valuable feedback that will help you improve your product or service.

 Here are some practical pointers to help you get the most out of your user interviews:

Ask open-ended questions that will encourage the interviewee to share their thoughts and experiences. For example, you might ask: "Tell me how you do X today. What is the hardest thing about doing X? Why is it hard? How often do you have to do X? Why is it important for your company to do X?"

Use follow-up questions to dig deeper into the interviewee's responses. For example, you might ask: "What do you mean by that? Can you tell me more about that? Why is that important to you?"

 Avoid asking yes/no questions, as they won't give you much information. Instead, focus on asking open-ended questions that will encourage the interviewee to share their thoughts and experiences.

 Avoid asking questions that focus on your product or its features. Instead, focus on the problems that your product is designed to solve. For example, instead of asking "Which features would make our product better?", you might ask "What do you do to solve this problem for yourself?" This will help you gather valuable insights that you can use to improve your product or business.

What are some of the ways you use to elicit founder feedback, we would love to know!