So you’re a developer or software company, and you made a great tool that doesn’t exist. It blew everyone’s mind. Suddenly, two customers appear complaining they want this or that, and you’re freaking out. It’s okay. Nothing will be perfect for everyone. Don’t become a contractor for individual customers.

You want voluminous feedback

Avoid the knee jerk reaction to the first few users feedback. Here’s how I do it instead. I wait for feedback from 100 people before adjusting. I keep in mind I’m not building for one person but for a persona or a collective of people. When listening to the feedback, you’ll notice 2-3 items requested over and over again. It’s almost as if you don’t need to write them down because everyone says the same thing. These are the items to focus on in the next release.

It matters how you ask

When getting feedback, the method I prefer is asking what they like about the application. When you analyze the feedback though, look for what they say they don’t like. This is where you can add value. Still, don’t specifically ask for negatives. When asking for positives, if criticism appears it’s something that really bothered them. If you ask for a critique they search out the negatives which might not be that important.

One foot, then the other

The feedback process becomes unfocused if you try to change too much at once. In scientific experiments, if you modify too many variables the data gets too noisy to get any real meaning. So I’ll change only the most requested items which brings the most value to the most poeple. After the next release, I’ll ask for feedback again.

Personas are people

Even though personas are an abstract representation of a group of people, I’ll get to know real people that represent the persona. For example, if I’m working on an app for attorneys, I’ll get to know an actual trial attorney, corporate lawyer, personal injury lawyer, etc. That way if I’m looking for specific input on something, like a new transcriptions feature, I have a real person I can ask. Since I’m not an attorney there’s no way I can see things from their point of view. I leverage my resources to build the best product, and their experience is a valuable resource.

What should you do?

Wether you are building a new product or growing an existing one, it might not be clear exactly what to do feedback and this can be tricky. The people at the top in life are always working, growing and improving with the help of others. It’s how you got to where you are. And it’s how you will get answers to make through to the next stage on your journey.

I have experience that you can leverage. If you don’t use me, use someone else. The point is for you to get what is on your mind resolved immediately, don’t wait. Set an appointment with me and tell me about your situation so I can help. Click this link to reach out. Something else on your mind? Whatever you need, I’m here. Life is meant to be done together, just reach out.