The problem with interviews

Every product manager has faced this dilemma: you release a feature, you dive into every number on mixpanel or google analytics - but you can’t extract the story behind the number. You clearly see the problem, and now you need to come with solutions.

To find solutions, you have to talk with users. Real users. But that’s a hassle: finding relevant users, asking them to find time, nudging with the “why” question… a real pain. Without publicly admitting it, product managers end up with very few interviews.

Interviews are not the solution

Can product decisions be based on conversations with 5 users? Or even with 10 users? Obviously the answer is no. But that’s what actually happens. Here are some of the problems in the current model:

• It’s time-consuming. Who wants to spend hours chasing after users? There must be a faster solution.
• You are missing the train. Your users are not patient when it comes to mistakes. So you need to respond quickly and fix things fast, so as not risk losing their business.
• Numbers are too small. 5-10 users do not represent your customer base. The insights of an insignificant group are likely to have a validity problem.
• Your questions might be biased. It’s really tough for every person to break assumptions and start from scratch.   

What’s in a digital advisory board?

The unique advantage of a digital PAB (product advisory board) is the ability to ask open-ended question, and get bottom line insights. By leveraging AI, you can instantly reach out to hundreds of users, group similar responses and find repeating themes.

Users are invited to a social platform, and like in a physical advisory board, they engage and meet each other. Their motivation to give advice is connected to the meaning you offer them, as well as the sense of exclusiveness and fun.

An unfair advantage

To get started, you first need to generate a list of users or customers. You can use existing systems to extract the list, or work with marketing & sales. Once you have the list, you can easily get quality insights every 2-4 weeks.

To make your members excited and committed, you can also address their insights and use our technology to quickly and easily update them on their impact. Make them the co-owners of your product decisions, and get an unfair advantage on your competitors.