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My FailCon 2010 presentation on how not understanding your customers will kill your company faster than anything else. Want to better understand your customers? Read this and then sign up for http://www.uservoice.com
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There’s a Customer Out There with a Bullet for You
---Understanding Your Customers
Evan HamiltonCommunity Manager, UserVoice
Agenda
1. Listening failures2. Failures of understanding3. Success through understanding4. Best practices5. The importance of saying no6. Q&A
Ideas Can Kill
1. Ideas you ignore2. Ideas you don’t understand
3. Ideas you shouldn’t have listened to
Listening Failures
Listening Failures
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Customers said: 30-second load times suck
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Customers said: 30-second load times suck
Friendster focused on: VOIP
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Customers said: 30-second load times suck
Friendster focused on: VOIP
Result: $30MM to ???
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t want more work
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t want more work
Wasabe focused on: Effort-heavy features
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t want more work
Wasabe focused on: Effort-heavy features
Result: Mint $170MM, Wesabe $0
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t understand it
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t understand it
Google focused on: “Revolutionizing” communication
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t understand it
Google focused on: “Revolutionizing” communication
Result: Dead after one year
Failure to Understand
Failure to Understand
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
• Off shelf in 79 days
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
• Off shelf in 79 days
• Was brand, not taste
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
•200k blind taste tests
•55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
• Off shelf in 79 days
• Didn’t understand brand importance
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
• We finally understood that the issue was signing up for a new account
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
• We finally understood that the issue was signing up for a new account
• Built simpler sign-in
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
• We finally understood that the issue was signing up for a new account
• Built simpler sign-in
• 7x increase in conversions
Success Through Understanding
Success Through Understanding
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
• “A stupid idea”
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
• Traffic “went off a cliff” after 6 weeks
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
• Traffic “went off a cliff” after 6 weeks
• People said: “I want to broadcast”
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
• Traffic “went off a cliff” after 6 weeks
• People said: “I want to broadcast”
• Now 3MM visitors/monthPhoto : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Best Practices
Best Practices• Email doesn’t scale
Best Practices• Email doesn’t scale
• Wastes your time
Best Practices• Email doesn’t scale
• Wastes your time
• Wastes your customers’ time
Best Practices
Solution: Aggregate and prioritize
• Email doesn’t scale
• Wastes your time
• Wastes your customers’ time
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
• Not representative
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
• Not representative
•May not be your best or stickiest customers
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
• Not representative
•May not be your best or stickiest customers
Solution: Limit votes so everyone is at the same volume
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
• YouTube tried like/dislike, still had the J-curve
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
• YouTube tried like/dislike, still had the J-curve
• (Almost) nobody rates badly
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
• YouTube tried like/dislike, still had the J-curve
• (Almost) nobody rates badly
Solution: Only allow up votes, don’t default to top ideasPhoto & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
•Custom design: 55%
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
•Custom design: 55%
•SSO: 124%
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
•Custom design: 55%
•SSO: 124%
Solution: Integrate your ideas tool completely
The Importance of Saying No
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
• Completed 30% of ideas, declined 62%
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
• Completed 30% of ideas, declined 62%
• 0 to 6.5MM monthlies in 2 years
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
• Completed 30% of ideas, declined 62%
• 0 to 6.5MM monthlies in 2 years
• “educating customers”
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
• For every 1 successful site, there were 20 sites with 3 users
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
• For every 1 successful site, there were 20 sites with 3 users
• The vision was missing
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
• For every 1 successful site, there were 20 sites with 3 users
• The vision was missing
• New sites have to prove themselves before launching now
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
1. Actively solicit feedback
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
1. Actively solicit feedback2. Avoid the vocal minority and the J-curve
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
1. Actively solicit feedback2. Avoid the vocal minority and the J-curve3. Spend the time understand what people
are really saying