Customer Discovery Interview

Alex Cowan

20 Mar 201805:41

Summary

TLDRThis video showcases a dramatized customer discovery interview, highlighting the importance of professional development and lifelong learning in the context of evolving technology and platform changes. An HR manager, inspired by the challenges of adapting to new technologies, discusses the development of an application designed to assess employees' skill sets for professional growth. The video illustrates the interview process, where the HR manager expresses the continuous need for updating skills due to constant technological updates, and evaluates prototypes for a new tool aimed at facilitating this process. The emphasis is on the significance of adaptive learning tools in managing workforce development in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Takeaways

😟 This is an example of how not to conduct a customer discovery interview
😃 The video features an interview to gather feedback on a professional development application
👩‍💼 The interviewee is an HR manager interested in talent development
🤝 The goal is to assess employee skillsets to facilitate training on new platforms
😐 The interviewer asks leading questions and makes assumptions
💸 The interviewer improperly discusses pricing and business details
📊 The interviewee wants reporting capabilities to export data
🔐 The interviewee emphasizes the importance of security
🎨 The interviewer shows prototypes to get feedback
😊 Despite flaws, both parties are friendly and express interest

Q & A

What is the goal of the application being discussed?
-The application aims to assess employee skill sets required for a role and evaluate where employees stand in relation to those skills. This helps plan for professional development as technologies change.
What was the inspiration for this application?
-The inspiration came from an instance where many platform and technology changes happened simultaneously. Managers realized they needed a way to assess where teams stood with new technologies so employees could have time to get up to speed.
Why is lifelong learning and professional development important for the company being interviewed?
-It's very important because the company uses many technologies that are constantly changing. Employees need to continually learn new things.
Has the company undergone platform or technology changes recently?
-Yes, they are constantly changing systems, software, and procedures. Keeping people up-to-date is important.
Who would use the assessment tool within the company?
-The tool would likely be used by managers, team leads, HR, and potentially individual employees to evaluate skill levels.
What features would be important in the assessment tool?
-Key features would include security like password changes, reporting capabilities like Excel export, and assessment of commonly used technologies at the company like JavaScript, Node, Mac, Windows, Google Apps.
What e-learning services does the company currently use?
-They use Coursera for engineers, Stack Overflow for Q&A and tips.
Would this assessment process and future planning be useful for the company?
-Yes, the interviewee indicates it would be useful and doesn't see why people at the company wouldn't use such an application.
How did the interviewee rate the initial prototype shown to them?
-The interviewee rated the initial prototype an 8 out of 10 on likelihood to use.
Which of the two prototypes shown did the interviewee prefer?
-The interviewee preferred the first prototype over the second.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Introducing the application and its purpose

The paragraph introduces an application that lets you assess the skill sets required for a given role. It matches employees to those skill sets to help plan for professional development as technologies change. The goal is to help talent develop and not get overwhelmed with new platform and technology changes.

05:01

😃 Demonstrating prototypes and getting feedback

The paragraph shows the customer two prototypes of the application and asks them to rate and react to the designs. The customer rates the first prototype an 8 out of 10 and likes it better than the second prototype, which they rate a 7 out of 10.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡customer discovery interview

A customer discovery interview is a type of interview conducted with potential or existing customers to understand their needs and challenges. In the video, the presenter conducts a mock customer discovery interview to showcase bad practices. This interview aims to assess the need for a professional development planning tool.

💡professional development

Professional development refers to the skills, training, and education employees pursue to further their careers. It is a high priority for the company depicted in the video since they are constantly adopting new technologies that require employees to learn new skills.

💡platform changes

Platform changes refer to when a company transitions to new software systems, technologies, or IT infrastructure. The interviewee says their company undergoes frequent platform changes which creates an urgent need to train employees on new skills.

💡assess skills

Assessing skills means evaluating employees' current competencies and proficiency levels. The proposed application aims to assess employee skills to identity skill gaps and development needs.

💡ramp up

Ramp up means to progressively increase in level, capacity or extent. The interviewee wants employees to have time to ramp up on new technologies so they can get up to speed without feeling overwhelmed.

💡lifelong learning

Lifelong learning refers to the ongoing, voluntary pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional reasons. The interviewee says lifelong learning through professional development is very important at their rapidly changing company.

💡password changes

The interviewee cites an inefficient previous system for password changes as a pain point that could be improved by the proposed application. This relates to access management best practices.

💡export reports

The interviewee wants the ability to export reports from the professional development application to Excel. This likely relates to analyzing skills data.

💡Coursera

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers courses and certifications. The company uses Coursera along with other sites like Stack Overflow to provide elearning content for professional development.

💡prototype reactions

The presenter asks the interviewee to view and react to prototypes, which are early experimental versions of a product. This user feedback on initial designs is important for product development.

Highlights

Example of a bad customer interview filled with assumptions and leading questions

Interviewer admits their inspiration was an internal company problem they aimed to solve

Asks interviewee how important professional development is, doesn't allow them to elaborate fully

Interviewer leads with a price point instead of asking open questions about value

Asks for sensitive company data like employee count without building enough trust

Asks about specific technologies to assess instead of letting interviewee share what's important

Interviewee shares pain points around password changes and reporting, but interviewer ignores

Interviewer asks about e-learning services actually used instead of making assumptions

Checks in if interviewee thinks others would use tool instead of assuming broad appeal

Shows prototypes and asks for feedback instead of just explaining product

Quantifies feedback on first prototype with a rating system

Compares ratings between two prototypes to determine preference

Thanks interviewee for their time and feedback at end

Key takeaway is importance of avoiding assumptions and leading questions in interviews

Highlights how poor interview practices can turn off prospective customers