Mind Reading Seeing Needs Users Don’t Articulate

Leslie Feinzaig, Microsoft

“If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”

- Henry Ford

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Qualit

y

Time

More = better!

1960 1980 2000 2020

Num

ber

of b

lad

es

More = better?

“It’s hard to design products by focus groups. People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

- Steve Jobs

“Great innovations come from understanding the consumer's unmet needs and desires. Regardless of the market, innovation must be consumer-led. That is not the same thing as consumer-decided.”

- AG Lafley

Why we do what we do

Aspirations

Needs

Activities

Aspirations are what drives us forward, deep at the

core of our being. They are powerful marketing

tools, but often too high-level to be really

actionable.

The more specific need states that arise out of our

high level aspirations. Needs drive market

behavior. They are not observable, but can be

surmised from observable behavior and

questioning the reasons behind that behavior,

The actual behaviors we engage

in to address our needs; including processes (how

I do it) as well as solutions (what I use). Pain points

can be observed from the usefulness of how one

activity fills one need.

Ethnography…

“Ethnography is a qualitative research method aimed to learn and

understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of

meanings guiding the life of a cultural group.“

– Wikipedia

More simply: Observe, interpret, and apply

Ethnography… in 3 easy steps

1. Sample 2. Fieldwork 3. Analysis

1. Sample

2. Fieldwork

3. Analysis

Exercise

• Pair up

• Choose a researcher and a participant • Participant: take out your phone, and use it for five minutes in

any way you like

• Researcher: observe, ask questions if you want

• Both: debrief. Did you uncover any needs?

100+ Observed Behaviors

60+ Extracted User Needs

26 Consolidated User Needs

A real-life example

What it means

Users will find themselves in boring, precarious, uncomfortable, or otherwise non-ideal situations and find themselves needing relief, even if for only a moment. It could be a mental break from a stressful situation, or simply watching a video while traveling on an uneventful bus ride.

Newton of Sao Paulo works online all day. He also has his iPad with him wherever he goes. When he has a few minutes alone, just before a meeting starts, he’ll play Angry Birds. It helps him to kill some time and also helps him to not obsess too much about work, as he can be a workaholic.

Extreme User profile

Newton of Sao Paulo

• In Sao Paulo only, cost of mobile data plans makes it difficult for most to have on-the-go entertainment

•Lack of connectivity on the go, e.g. in the subway

Solution Set

•PC and console gaming

•Simples games on PC, phone or Tablet

•Sites reflecting personal interest, such as sports, manga or fashion

•Online shopping sites

•YouTube

•Facebook

•Twitter

•Email

•Search engines

•Netflix and other movie sites

Pain Points

Sample need: Escape circumstances

Be connected

Manage my mood

Manage my identity

Be productive

Be on top of things

“Be in the know”

Define myself

Manage my

reputation Escape

Be in the moment

Manage time

Take action

Don’t miss out

Anticipate

Be unique Try things on

Treat myself

Clear morning cobwebs

Save for later Make best decision

Tap into my community

Start the day with

confidence

Maintain connections

Be successful in my

profession

Expand my perspective

Decompress

Maintain or adjust

momentum

Get things done

Do things correctly

Feel informed

Anticipate issues

Reconnect with my

tribe

Know more than you do

Sign off at end of day

Rally people

Get inspired

Cultivate connections

Let curiosity have free

reign

Play together

Escape circumstance

User needs quantified

Importance

Pain

Po

ints

Bubble size = Frequency Bubble shade = Fit with product

• Which needs cluster together?

• What proportion of users have each need? How frequently do they have it?

• How important is each need to users?

• How satisfied are users with their ability to meet each need using online solutions?

• How well do you and your competitors align with each of these needs?

In closing

• You don’t need to be an expert • (You do need to be observant)

• (You may also need to be someone people feel comfortable around)

• Keep your eyes open always

• Be aware of your own biases

• There are no right answers

• Don’t rat hole

• Have fun!

© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.

The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it

should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation.

MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

Thank you

Some resources: • http://www.ideo.com/work/human-

centered-design-toolkit/