How did user interviews lead to the creation of Twitch?

After pivoting from Justin.tv, Emmett Shear led the gaming initiative. Unlike previous ventures, they actively conducted numerous user interviews with broadcasters. This research provided critical insights into the gaming community's needs, forming the foundation for Twitch's product features and strategy, and establishing a dedicated user research function within the company.

Who should you talk to when developing a new product like a note-taking app?

When developing a new product, it's crucial to identify various user groups. For a note-taking app, this could include college students (segmented by major and study habits), IT administrators (who often make purchasing decisions), and even parents. The aim is to get a broad understanding of the user base and who holds the purchasing power, not just the end-users.

What is the 'horseless carriage' effect in user interviews?

The 'horseless carriage' effect refers to users asking for incremental improvements on existing solutions (like a faster horse) rather than articulating their true underlying problem. This is why it's advised to avoid asking users about specific features directly, as they might suggest solutions that don't actually solve the core issue, leading to a product that doesn't resonate.

Why is it important to interview non-users and competitors' users for Twitch?

Interviewing existing users and competitors' users provides insights into current market demands and pain points. However, interviewing non-users is crucial for market expansion. Their feedback reveals barriers to adoption (e.g., technical requirements, perceived difficulty) and unmet needs, offering opportunities to grow the market beyond existing user bases.

How can you get company buy-in for user interview findings?

Getting buy-in is difficult if you simply present conclusions. Recording user interviews is highly effective. Playing back excerpts of these recordings for the team allows them to hear user feedback firsthand, making the insights more impactful and leading to better decision-making regarding product development.

What are the most common mistakes startups make in user interviews?

Common mistakes include showing users the product too early, asking about pet features (e.g., 'Would you pay for subscriptions?'), and talking only to easily accessible users (like those on a forum) instead of the target audience. These missteps can lead to biased feedback and wasted development effort.

How can you validate a feature idea with minimal resources?

The best approach is to 'hack something together' – create a minimal version or a browser extension to test the core functionality. Payment is the ultimate validation; if people are willing to pay, even a small amount, it strongly indicates genuine interest. For free products, focus on observable behavior after a limited release.

Key Moments

How to Run a User Interview with Emmett Shear (How to Start a Startup 2014: Lecture 16)

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Key Moments

TL;DR

User interviews are crucial for startups; focus on user problems, not features, to find product-market fit.

Key Insights

User interviews are as important as product development in the early stages of a startup.

Identify the most crucial user group for your product and understand their specific needs.

Focus on understanding user problems rather than asking about or designing specific features.

Engage with diverse user groups, including existing users, competitors' users, and non-users, for comprehensive insights.

Recording interviews and playing them back can be a powerful tool for gaining company-wide buy-in.

The pool of important users and their needs can shift over time, requiring continuous user research.

THE DUAL PILLARS OF STARTUP GROWTH

In the nascent stages of a startup, focusing on two core activities—building the product and talking to users—is paramount. Emmett Shear, founder of Twitch, emphasizes that understanding user needs through interviews can often reveal insights unattainable through data analysis alone. This proactive engagement with potential customers helps shape and redefine product goals, ensuring development efforts align with genuine market demands rather than assumptions.

LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES

Shear shares his early startup experiences, highlighting critical lessons learned. His first venture, Kiko Calendar, failed to connect with users because the founders didn't use calendars themselves and didn't interview anyone who did. His second, Justin.tv, initially leveraged being their own users, which proved limiting. This led to the pivot that created Twitch, where user interviews became central to understanding and developing a product that resonated with a broader audience.

IDENTIFYING AND ENGAGING THE RIGHT USERS

A critical aspect of user interviews is selecting the right audience. For a note-taking app, initial thoughts might lead to interviewing college students. However, Shear stresses the importance of considering who *actually* makes purchasing decisions, potentially including IT administrators or parents, not just the end-users. Identifying the most influential or accessible user group is key to gathering impactful feedback that drives product strategy.

THE PROBLEM-FIRST APPROACH TO FEATURE DEVELOPMENT

During user interviews, the focus should remain on understanding users' problems and current behaviors, not on soliciting feature requests. Asking users directly about features often leads to the 'horseless carriage' effect—they ask for a faster horse instead of the car. By delving into their pain points, motivations, and workflows, startup teams can uncover unmet needs and develop truly innovative solutions that address the root cause of a problem, rather than superficial requests.

VALIDATING IDEAS AND ITERATING

Once a potential solution or feature idea emerges from user insights, validation is the next step. While building a minimum viable product (MVP) is an option, Shear suggests that 'cheating' by creating quick prototypes, browser extensions, or even mockups can be more efficient for initial validation. The ultimate validation often comes from the 'money test'—getting users to commit financially, proving their genuine interest and the perceived value of the product or feature.

INSIGHTS FROM DIVERSE USER GROUPS

Shear illustrates the power of interviewing different user segments with the Twitch example. Feedback from existing Justin.tv broadcasters highlighted issues within their current platform but didn't point to the core of future growth. Conversely, competitor feedback revealed desired features, while feedback from non-broadcasters (non-users) exposed fundamental barriers to entry, such as technical limitations and lack of perceived value. This comprehensive approach, especially focusing on non-users, unlocks opportunities for significant market expansion.

THE STRATEGIC VALUE OF COMPETITOR AND NON-USER INSIGHTS

While interviewing existing users and competitors' users provides valuable incremental insights, the feedback from non-users is often the most transformative for expanding market reach. Non-users highlight fundamental reasons why they haven't adopted a product or category, such as technical hurdles, perceived complexity, or a lack of compelling need. Addressing these core issues, even if they weren't explicitly asked for by current users, can lead to breakthrough product development and market growth.

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF USER NEEDS

The user pool and their priorities are not static. As a product or market evolves, the key stakeholders and their concerns change. For Twitch, the initial focus on individual broadcasters evolved to include game publishers as the industry matured. This underscores the necessity of continuous user research, regularly re-engaging with different user segments to ensure the product remains relevant and continues to meet emerging needs, preventing stagnation and ensuring sustained growth.

GETTING COMPANY BUY-IN AND EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES

Gaining internal consensus for user-driven decisions can be challenging. Recording interviews and playing back key excerpts for the team is a powerful method to convey user challenges and perspectives. Furthermore, prioritizing interactive interviews (via Skype or in-person) over email is crucial for capturing nuanced feedback and follow-up questions. Asking users to 'ramble' and share their context allows for deeper understanding of their needs and motivations.

COMMON PITFALLS IN USER INTERVIEWS

Several common mistakes hinder effective user interviews. These include showing users the product too early, asking leading questions about 'pet features,' and interviewing only readily available users rather than the most relevant ones. Many startups avoid user interviews due to the often negative feedback about their cherished ideas. However, accepting this feedback early on saves significant resources compared to launching an unneeded product or feature later.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Products

●Software & Apps

●Companies

User Interview Best Practices

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Identify the right users to talk to, considering different segments and their potential purchasing power (e.g., students, IT administrators, parents).

Focus on understanding users' problems and goals, not just their feature requests.

Record interviews to share insights with your team and avoid disruptive note-taking.

Conduct interviews over Skype or in person for better interaction and follow-up questions.

Talk to users of competing products and non-users to understand market potential and barriers.

Continuously conduct user interviews as your product and market evolve.

When giving feedback, ramble and provide a full picture of your life and context to help interviewers understand your needs.

Avoid This

Don't ask users about features directly; this can lead to the 'horseless carriage' effect.

Avoid only talking to available users (e.g., those on your forum) as they may not be representative.

Do not show users your product or pitch ideas prematurely. Focus on learning their problems first.

Don't rely solely on data analytics; user interviews provide crucial qualitative insights.

Avoid conducting interviews over email, as they lack interactivity and deeper probing opportunities.

Common Questions

Shear's initial startups, Kiko Calendar and Justin.tv, highlighted a significant gap: building a product without understanding or talking to its users. Kiko Calendar failed because they didn't use calendars and never spoke to users. Justin.tv's success was limited because while they were their own users, it wasn't a broadly applicable problem, and they lacked deeper user insight for expansion.

Topics

Business & Entrepreneurship Technology & Innovation User Research Customer Development Startup Strategy Product Development Market Validation Interview Techniques Pivot Strategy

Mentioned in this video

Companies

Twitch

A live streaming platform, originally Justin.tv, which was acquired by Amazon. Emmett Shear is the CEO.

YouTube

Mentioned as a platform where non-broadcasters upload edited videos instead of live streaming.

Mixpanel

A product analytics platform used by Justin.tv to analyze user data, contrasted with the insights gained from user interviews.

Amazon

The company that acquired Twitch.

Riot Games

Mentioned in the context of game publishers banning professional players from streaming their own content.

Justin.tv

The precursor to Twitch, focused on reality TV about Justin.tv's life. It was the second startup for Emmett Shear and Justin Kahn.

Kiko Calendar

Emmett Shear and Justin Kahn's first startup, which they sold on eBay. They learned about programming but not about calendars or users.

Products

Xbox

A gaming console where broadcasting features were integrated to overcome the difficulty of live streaming for users.

PlayStation 4

A gaming console where broadcasting features were integrated to make live streaming more accessible.

Software & Apps

Google Analytics

A data analytics tool previously used by Justin.tv to understand user behavior, which Emmett Shear contrasts with user interviews.

Google Docs

A document editing software used by Stephanie for note-taking, particularly for collaboration and personal use.

Evernote

A note-taking application used by Stephanie for personal notes and thoughts, distinct from Google Docs which is preferred for collaboration.

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