Sprint

by Jake Knapp

As the customer goes through the task, the Interviewer should ask questions to help her think aloud: “What is this? What is it for?” “What do you think of that?” “What do you expect that will do?” “So, what goes through your mind as you look at this?” “What are you looking for?” “What would you do next? Why?”

Here are some of Michael’s debrief questions: “How does this product compare to what you do now?” “What did you like about this product? What did you dislike?” “How would you describe this product to a friend?” “If you had three magic wishes to improve this product, what would they be?”

Throughout the session, the Interviewer should remain engaged in the conversation. He should encourage the customer to talk while remaining neutral (say things like “uh-huh” and “mmm hmm,” not “great!” and “good job!”)

We can’t promise that your interviews will make you as successful as Airbnb, but we can promise that the process will be enlightening. In the next chapter, we’ll talk about how to make sense of what you observe:

1. Be a good host For just a moment, imagine you are the target customer who comes in for an interview. You’ve shown up to try some new product (you’re not quite sure what) in a building you’ve never been to before, and you’ll be watched by some person you just met.

2. Ask open-ended questions To understand what the customer thinks, you have to be careful not to ask leading questions. Some leading questions are obvious and easy to avoid (we’re sure you won’t say “You like this, right?”).

Interviewer: “Now that you’ve seen the site, would you be ready to sign up now, or do you need more information?” Customer: “Um, I guess I’d need more info . . . Oh, here’s the FAQ. I’ll check it out.” This exchange looks okay at a glance, but the multiple-choice question (“ready to sign up” versus “need more information”) has influenced the customer’s response. You’re assuming that the customer wants to do one of those two options. It’s tough to do, but you should avoid asking multiple-choice questions. They’re almost always leading questions in disguise.

Interviewer: “Now that you’ve seen the site, what are you thinking?” Customer: “I dunno, I mean . . . I don’t think it’s right for my company.” Interviewer: “Why is that?” Customer: (Insert fascinating reason here.)

When you ask an open-ended question, you’re more likely to get an honest reaction and an explanation of why.

DON’T ask multiple choice or “yes/no” questions. (“Would you . . .?” “Do you . . .?” “Is it . . .?”) DO ask “Five Ws and One H” questions. (“Who . . .?” “What . . .?” “Where . . .?” “When . . .?” “Why . . .?” “How . . .?”)

Ask broken questions Michael Margolis is the master of broken questions. The idea behind a broken question is to start asking a question – but let your speech trail off before you say anything that could bias or influence the answer.

With a broken question, you can encourage people to think aloud, without leading them in any direction. You can also learn a lot by just remaining quiet. Don’t always feel compelled to fill the silence with conversation. Stop and watch and wait and listen.

Being in a curiosity mindset means being fascinated by your customers and their reactions. You can develop this mindset by focusing on the surprising details of what your customers say and do. Always ask “why?” Never assume or jump to conclusions.

Maybe the best part about a sprint is that you can’t lose. If you test your prototype with customers, you’ll win the best prize of all – the chance to learn, in just five days, whether you’re on the right track with your ideas.

When you get into a regular rhythm of listening to customers, it can remind you why you’re working so hard in the first place.

team closer to the people you’re trying to help with your product or service.

In 1899, the Wrights did their own version of Ask the Experts by corresponding with others who had tried to fly and writing to the Smithsonian Institute for technical papers on aerodynamics. They found existing ideas by researching kites and hang gliders, observing birds, and studying boat propellers. Then they combined, remixed, and improved.

The phrase “ambitious goal” might sound like corporate-speak or the headline of a bad inspirational poster. But we shouldn’t be embarrassed to have ambitious goals at work. Each of us has only so much time in a day, in a year, and in our lives. When you go to work in the morning, you should know that your time and effort will count. You should have confidence that you’re making a difference in real people’s lives.

He went on: “Good Lord, I’m a-wondering what all of us could do if we had faith in our ideas and put all our heart and mind and energy into them like those Wright boys did!”

Ask obvious questions. Pretend to be naive. Ask “Why?” a lot. (here

Prototype mindset. You can prototype anything. Prototypes are disposable. Build just enough to learn, but not more. The prototype must appear real.