Ten questions you should ask while observing customers to better understand the job they want done and how you can offer a product or service that will help them do it better:
- How do customers become aware of a need for your product or service? Is there a way to make it easier or more convenient for them to find your offering?
- What do customers really use your product or service for? What job is the customer hiring your product or service to do?
- What does the customer ultimately consider as the most important features when selecting a final product or service? (If the customer has a hundred points to allocate across all the features he considers important, how would he allocate them?)
- How do consumers order and purchase your product? Is there a way you can make it easier, more convenient, or less costly?
- How do you deliver your product or service? Can you do it faster, cheaper, in a completely different way?
- How do customers pay for your product or service? Is there a way to make it easier or more convenient?
- What frustrations do your customers have when trying to use your product? Do they use your product in ways you didn’t expect?
- What do consumers need help with when they use the product?
- Do customers do things that hurt the longevity or reliability of your product or service?
- How do customers repair, service, or dispose of your product? Are there opportunities to make this easier or more convenient (or teach the customer how to use the product so it requires less maintenance or to do self-maintenance)?