How To Build Empathy In User Experience Innovation

I’ve been interviewing a lot of PMMs lately, and it’s interesting how many candidates talk about “customer centricity” and “user empathy” as core strengths but struggle to show how they actually live those values. Most share examples like talking to customers via surveys and interviews but tend to stop there. Now, don’t get me wrong. Talking with customers is great (plz keep doing that). But there are plenty of other ways to build a bench of market insights and get to know your customers and market on a deeper level: 1/ Sit in on sales calls or demos to hear prospects’ unfiltered questions and objections + how sellers respond 2/ Check out competitor reviews and G2/Capterra feedback to spot gaps and unmet needs 3/ Split test your messaging, CTAs, and onboarding so the data does the talking 4/ Use the product like your customers do and experience it firsthand. Drink your own champagne 5/ Spend time with support, take shifts, and dig into tickets to find patterns 6/ Analyze knowledgebase article stats, particularly views. The most-viewed topics show what people actually care about 7/ Watch FullStory sessions or similar product replays to see where users get stuck or better yet, succeed 8/ Run CABs, product councils, or community programs to get direct feedback from your biggest fans Bottom line: Don’t let empathy become just a buzzword. Dig in like a journalist if you want to stand out as a product marketer.

I’ve been interviewing a lot of PMs lately, and it’s interesting how many mention user empathy as something important to them. My follow-up question is usually around how they you build user empathy. Most mention talking to users, which is great and necessary, but I’ve noticed that some product folks tend to stop there. Of course, talking to users is critical, but there are so many other ways to deeply understand your users that seem to be getting overlooked: - Dogfooding the product - Running A/B tests (yes, I think being deeply hypothesis-driven and testing can build empathy!) - Reviewing support tickets - Joining online communities where users hang out (or events etc) - Mapping the entire user journey - Deeply understanding both super-happy and churned users - Watching session replays to identify points of friction - Partnering with customer-facing teams (and shadowing them - Using competitors seriously, since these are your users’ real alternatives

I recently had a chance to clock in for a 5-hour shift making coffee at one of Deputy's customers. Those hours provided a treasure trove of valuable information: which part of our product is most beloved by workers and why, what we could do better to enable worker productivity, and a wish list for new features that will help workers and managers be more connected and in sync. I also learned about how the baristas foster teamwork, what body movements and order of operations they do to maximize the amount of customers they can serve, and how they build real connection and loyalty with their buyers. It was one of the most memorable days of last year! When it comes to developing game changing innovation, "listening" to customers is no longer enough - leaders must go deeper! They actually have to step into their customers' shoes. I shared my thoughts with Forbes on the topic of human-centered design. My take? It’s about deep market research that comes with spending time with your users and building empathy through true understanding of their pain points. Translating data is something I’m passionate about, but understanding the HUMAN challenges behind the numbers is where the magic happens. Check out the 20 strategies shared by inspiring leaders, and tell me, what would you add to the list? Link here: https://lnkd.in/gH73y-nR #ForbesExpertPanel #TechnologyForGood #EmpathyInDesign #CustomerFeedback