Finding users to validate a problem
I want to interview potential users for a whole bunch of problems I want to validate, would you be willing to be interviewed for $20 for 1hr?
If no, then why not, what might change your mind?
I want to interview potential users for a whole bunch of problems I want to validate, would you be willing to be interviewed for $20 for 1hr?
If no, then why not, what might change your mind?
Hey there,
I don't want to be the party pooper here, but this approach might be contrary to the holy bible of "the Mom test" approach. You should try to engage in interesting discussions - and that should not feel like you owe them something. In theory...
In practice, test it 😅 I personally won't accept $20 for an hour (but that's just me).
Came here to mention "The Mom Test". Well said.
Totally agree - you're setting yourself up for a world of hurt here. Consider how hard it is to get an honest perspective from someone who doesn't want to offend you and put the incentive at risk.
Apart from the dollar amount you offer being likely to attract someone who overvalues $20, you arerelying on people to be honest about their experiences.
Instead of trying to validate ideas, turn it around and get specific about who you want to serve. Then go spend time observing those people talking about their challenges and problems before you go asking them for an hour of their time.
I've been meaning to read it for ages, maybe it's about time! Unfortunately in my post I was trying to keep the question quite vague and it seems to have back-fired somewhat...
I was thinking about a platform for finding users to interview (with more of a community aspect to it and a unique business model) and was wondering what the price point might be!
The thinking was also that the interviews would be pre-product and to focus more on getting a real understanding of the user problem before deciding on the product itself, it would also mean that it is part user-discovery too.
no. Tell me why i should invest an hour and why knowing my problems will help others. If i think talking about my problems will help others (or me), then i'll gladly give you 2 hours. Connect me to something bigger than the $20.
Very glad to hear this response Marty! Thanks! Interested to see if this is a consensus view!
be more specific in what you want to validate
Users should pay you to solve their problems not you pay them.
Thanks for responding! I was actually thinking of user-research before a product even existed - more to understand what their problems were in a specific area, so no promise of a solution (makes it a bit harder to ask for money for!)
Am I your ideal customer profile? I'll do it for free
Great! Will drop you an email, thank you!
Make it 200$/hr and I'm yours for 100 hours/month 😏
They use to do it for movie/trailer feedback at the cinemas/malls, the feedback was very elusive because people didn't want to disappoint whoever just paid them a dollar a minute.
Also, they usually didn't even ask what movie you just came out from, to make sure you even like the genre they're about to present you.
It needs to be done in a very smart way, targeting the right audience.
There's a good tool called PollFish, that's based on paying for polls. You pay them, and they pay the people who take the poll...
They let you filter by demographics, interests, and more... Check it out, maybe it can help you. It's way cheaper than 20$ per person.
https://www.pollfish.com/
Thanks a lot Yarduza, will check it out.
I'll complain about my problems for free. My opinion on other problems isn't worth anything.
Haha! Great! Will drop you an email, thank you!
Just tell me what is this about and I’ll gladly reply for free.
Sure, will drop you a message to explain more
Cool, Michael!
$20 doesn't buy much of my time, but I have 15 minutes for free any time.
The real problem you're looking at is, random opinions aren't worth much-- you need people in your target audience. And honestly, if they won't talk to you for free about your idea, they're sending you a pretty clear signal about their interest.
Would definitely like to take you up on your fifteen minutes if you don't mind!