How to Get Useful Feedback on Your MVP

Feedback is easy to get. Useful feedback is rare. The difference is in how you ask.

Questions That Get Useless Answers

• •What do you think of this?
• •Would you use this?
• •Is this a good idea?
• •What features should I add?
• •Do you like the design?

Questions That Get Useful Answers

• •How do you solve this problem today?
• •What happened last time you faced this?
• •How much time/money does this cost you?
• •Would you pay $X for this today?
• •Who else has this problem?

The Mom Test

Ask questions your mom couldn't lie about. Focus on past behavior, not future intentions. People predict their future selves badly.

• •Bad: Would you buy this?
• •Good: Have you ever paid for something like this?
• •Bad: How often would you use this?
• •Good: How did you handle this last week?

Where to Get Feedback

• •Existing users (best signal)
• •People who signed up but didn't activate
• •People who tried competitors
• •Online communities where target users hang out

Feedback to Act On

• •Problems blocking the core flow
• •Confusion that leads to drop-off
• •Requests from paying customers
• •Patterns you see 3+ times