Tips For Understanding Consumer Pain Points

While it can be easily believed that customers are the ultimate experts about their own needs, there are ways to gain insights and knowledge that customers may not be aware of or able to articulate directly. While customers are the ultimate source of truth about their needs, product managers can complement this knowledge by employing a combination of research, data analysis, and empathetic understanding to gain a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs and expectations. The goal is not to know more than customers but to use various tools and methods to gain insights that can lead to building better products and delivering exceptional user experiences. ➡️ User Research: Conducting thorough user research, such as interviews, surveys, and observational studies, can reveal underlying needs and pain points that customers may not have fully recognized or articulated. By learning from many users, we gain holistic insights and deeper insights into their motivations and behaviors. ➡️ Data Analysis: Analyzing user data, including behavioral data and usage patterns, can provide valuable insights into customer preferences and pain points. By identifying trends and patterns in the data, product managers can make informed decisions about what features or improvements are most likely to address customer needs effectively. ➡️ Contextual Inquiry: Observing customers in their real-life environment while using the product can uncover valuable insights into their needs and challenges. Contextual inquiry helps product managers understand the context in which customers use the product and how it fits into their daily lives. ➡️ Competitor Analysis: By studying competitors and their products, product managers can identify gaps in the market and potential unmet needs that customers may not even be aware of. Understanding what competitors offer can inspire product improvements and innovation. ➡️ Surfacing Implicit Needs: Sometimes, customers may not be able to express their needs explicitly, but through careful analysis and empathetic understanding, product managers can infer these implicit needs. This requires the ability to interpret feedback, observe behaviors, and understand the context in which customers use the product. ➡️ Iterative Prototyping and Testing: Continuously iterating and testing product prototypes with users allows product managers to gather feedback and refine the product based on real-world usage. Through this iterative process, product managers can uncover deeper customer needs and iteratively improve the product to meet those needs effectively. ➡️ Expertise in the Domain: Product managers, industry thought leaders, academic researchers, and others with deep domain knowledge and expertise can anticipate customer needs based on industry trends, best practices, and a comprehensive understanding of the market. #productinnovation #discovery #productmanagement #productleadership

I love how much enthusiasm and interest came from my last post on Jobs-to-Be-Done. But before diving into frameworks, I want to rewind and talk about some key fundamentals when it comes to customer discovery interviews. Because here’s what I’ve seen over and over again: Teams and founders get excited about an idea. They talk to people and show their prototype. People are kind and encouraging. And suddenly…it feels like validation. But polite nods and positive reactions aren’t actual validation. If you’re working on something new, your first job is to validate the problem, not the solution. And when you’re looking to validate the problem, here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Ask about the past Don’t ask people to imagine the future. Start with: “Tell me about the last time you …” That’s where the truth lives. When people are asked to predict the future, they’re often wrong. It’s Friday — did your week go exactly as you had predicted? 2. Avoid leading questions Skip the yes/no. Skip assumptions. People are often agreeable and may say “yes” — even when it’s not a real pain point. ❌ “Do you struggle with organizing student data?” ✅ “Walk me through how you organize student data today.” As they go through their story and you dig in, that's how you find the real struggle moments. 3. Dig into their story Don’t stick to a script. Get more context around the situation and follow the emotion. Bob Moesta calls it “following the energy” — when you hear a shift in tone or a moment that clearly mattered. Ask follow-ups like: “What happened next?” “Where were you? Who else was involved?” “What else have you tried?” That’s where the real insights live. 4. Look for signs of workarounds Spreadsheets, post-its, manual processes — all signs of friction. It’s in these struggle moments that valuable problems often appear. 5. Don’t pitch. Stay curious. Your mindset should be more like a journalist than a salesperson. You’re trying to understand, not convince. Be surprised. Be open to your assumptions being wrong. The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick is a great getting started resource around this topic with even more tips. I’ll dive into JTBD frameworks soon, but this is the foundation that makes any customer discovery interviews more effective—especially when you’re building something new and innovative. Any others you’d add? #CustomerDiscovery #ProductDiscovery #JTBD #CustomerInterviews

I often say: Focus on psychographics (values, interests) Over demographics (age, gender, income) The tough part? Gathering psychographics (without being creepy or invasive.) It's easier to rely on demographics. They're: - painless to gather - straightforward - easy to analyze - quantifiable But it's a mistake to depend on them. A costly one. They're a weak data point. The role they play in purchase decisions? Smaller than many marketers think. Psychographics are much more useful. And easier to collect than you think. Here's how I do it: 👉 Customer surveys Ask direct questions about values, interests, and the purchase process. 👉 Social listening Analyze what your audience is saying in comments, reviews, and posts. Look for patterns in their language, pain points, and values. 👉 Website behavior Track which pages customers visit, what content they engage with, and how they navigate your site. 👉 Customer interviews Understand the customer buying process — from the first moment a customer noticed a problem in their life through purchasing your product (and ideally your product solving their problem). 👉 Community engagement Host webinars, engage in online groups, read and respond to customer comments. Learn your target market's pain points and how they phrase those pain points. 👉 Analyze reviews and testimonials Look for recurring themes in what people say about your product — or your competitors'. Psychographics give you: - customer behavior insights - voice-of-customer data - value props - pain points It's priceless info. Use it to hone your messaging, offers, marketing, design, and product. #marketing #customerinsights #strategy

CUSTOMERS LIE ABOUT THE FUTURE. HERE'S THE REAL PREDICTOR OF SUCCESS. The graveyard of failed startups is full of products that customers said they "definitely would use." “That sounds cool" is not the same as "I will pay money for this." Most customer research is just elaborate validation seeking. Founders ask leading questions, get polite answers, and mistake politeness for product-market fit. HERE'S WHAT ACTUALLY PREDICTS SUCCESS: First Round figured out that people lie about future behavior but tell the truth about past behavior. So instead of asking "Would you buy a meal delivery service?" ask "What did you order for dinner last Tuesday? How much did you spend? What was annoying about that experience?" THE PATTERN THAT EMERGES:  Companies that succeed solve problems people are already spending money to solve badly. Slack didn't ask "Would you use a better chat tool?" They found teams drowning in email chains and asked about those painful experiences. Turns out people were already paying for email systems they hated. THE CONVERSATION THAT ACTUALLY WORKS: "Walk me through the last time this problem happened. What did you do first? How long did that take? What was frustrating about it? How much did your current solution cost in time or money?" Then listen for the pain points, not the polite agreement. THE SIGNAL YOU'RE LOOKING FOR:  People are cobbling together expensive, time-consuming workarounds because no good solution exists. THE VALIDATION THAT COUNTS:  When someone gives you their email address or credit card information before you've even built anything. Stop asking people what they want or if they like what you have. Start observing what they're already doing and paying for. Real customer development isn't about confirming your idea is brilliant. It's about discovering which problems hurt enough that people will actually change their habits. What problems are your potential customers already paying to solve badly? *** I’m Jennifer Kamara, founder of Kamara Life Design. Enjoy this? Repost to share with your network, and follow me for actionable strategies to design businesses and lives with meaning. Want to go from good to world-class? Join our community of subscribers today: https://lnkd.in/d6TT6fX5