Incorporate user feedback into UX/UI design
Table of Contents
If you give users the chance, they will push you in all sorts of directions. While users often have good intentions with their suggestions and requests, they are so varied and numerous that it is impossible to follow up on every single one.
Coming up with ideas is easy. The challenge lies in choosing which of your users' ideas you bring to life - and then simplifying them. Product owners and business leaders need to find a middle ground between what they think and what their users suggest.
We can't build every conceivable feature. So the question is: how do we choose what to develop?
Simple tests for what you should build
You can hire UX research teams who have never used your product to do the hard work, or you can look to those who know your product inside and out.
This is how we decide which requests to consider:
- Would around 80 % of current and future users find this feature useful?
- Would we want to use this feature ourselves?
- Would it take longer than a month for our engineers to build this feature? If so, we only implement it if it gives us a unique advantage over the competition. If a feature takes a long time to develop, we only focus on it if it's really something special.
It sounds simple, but if your answer to the first two questions is "yes", you have already made your choice. The purpose of the last question is to make sure you're not building something that already exists. You need to bring something new to the table, and this applies to all products and industries.
How do you approach the first (and crucial) question? Will at least 80 % of current and future users find this feature useful?
Why is it smart to listen to your users?
- Of course, they are the ones who use your product - probably even more than your own team.
They cheer you on. They support you and want you to be successful. Build - You do things they like and they will spread the word about what you do.
- They have tried out what your competitors are offering and can tell you how to make your product better than the rest.
Why it's not always the best idea to listen to your users?
- They tend to think of themselves. That's not necessarily a bad thing - that's just the way people are. They suggest features and ideas that work for them, but not necessarily for everyone.
- The loudest voices do not always represent your entire user base.
- Some ideas sound good, but end up costing too much time for too little return.
- If your user base is small, proceed with caution. About 100 users is a good size to recognize patterns that are actually helpful.
- If your users all come from the same background, you risk building a product that is too niche (and it's hard to change direction later).
- User suggestions often overlook the big picture - what's most important, how much work something means and what resources are available to you.
How do you make a flexible product?
In the end, it's about creating a product that adapts to the needs of your customers - after all, they are the ones you are there for. However, being adaptable doesn't mean that you lose your shape at the slightest touch. Think more like a popsicle stick - flexible to a point, but not easy to break. While my comparisons may not be the best, let's look at what you should keep in mind when requests come in from customers.
- How many people ask about it? If many of your big customers and numerous users want it, you should definitely consider it. Look for samples.
- What is happening on the market? Are there complaints or requests from your customers that are not reaching your feedback system or support team? Product marketers or sales engineers should monitor these trends and inform leadership of important findings.
- Does the request match your plans? Sometimes a user or customer suggests something brilliant that improves a feature you're already working on. If they provide a solution that you hadn't thought of, it's an obvious decision to integrate their idea.
Prioritization of requests
Just because a request is very popular doesn't mean it should be implemented immediately. You can't do everything at once. So you and your team have to make tough decisions.
Sort them into these groups:
- Do it now: The quick wins. Easy to implement and with great added value.
- Do it soon: These tasks are somewhat more demanding, but give you an edge over the competition.
- Do it later: These features are more difficult to tackle and may already exist or bring less value.
- Never do: Things that do not fulfill any of the above criteria.
In the end, your managers or product managers decide. You won't be right every time, but it is important that everyone - including your customers - feels that they are being heard.
Conflicts like these can really put your company culture to the test. That's why good communication within your team is crucial.
The most important insight
The best strategy to develop a great product is to use it yourself and listen to feedback from those who use your product. You don't need to bring in big teams or companies to find out what people want. You already have the perfect advisory group - your users, and they are more than willing to share their thoughts with you.
Arrange a free, no-obligation consultation with our team.
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