So, you have pushed out the first iteration of the product; there are numbers on your screen telling you how people are using it but you have no idea what they think of it or how to make it better. You know it’s time to talk to your first customers. So, how do you make the best of these conversations?
Creating effective product-market fit surveys isn’t just about asking questions; it’s about asking the right questions in the right way. Here’s how to craft surveys that will give you the insights you need to tailor your product to your market, supported by real-life examples and behavioral science principles.
Frame Your Questions with Positive Experiences
Starting your survey on a positive note can significantly impact the quality of responses. This leverages the principle of priming—subtle cues that influence behavior and responses. For instance, begin with, “We noticed you’ve been actively using our app and would love to hear your thoughts on how we can make it even better.”
Superhuman, a high-speed email client, used this technique to gather constructive feedback by emphasizing positive aspects, which helped them refine their product features more effectively.
Use Contextual Reminders
Context is crucial for accurate feedback. By reminding users of specific recent experiences, you help them provide more relevant insights. Ask something like, “Think about the last time you used our new feature. What was your overall experience?”
Superhuman’s extensive user interviews used this method, which allowed them to gather detailed insights into user experiences and pain points, aiding significant product improvements before launching.
Set Reference Points with Comparative Language
Anchoring helps respondents make more informed evaluations by setting a reference point. An example question could be, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how does our new feature compare to the old version?”
Superhuman’s Product Market Fit (PMF) engine included comparative questions to guide their product development roadmap by assessing how new features compared to older ones.
Leverage Social Proof
Using social proof encourages respondents to align their feedback with the positive experiences of others. For example, “85% of our users love this feature! Do you agree?”
Encharge validated their product during pre-sales by showcasing testimonials and positive feedback from other users, which led to better product-market fit and higher user engagement.
Emphasize Reciprocity
People feel obliged to return a favor when they receive something first, a principle known as reciprocity. Start with, “As a thank you for your time, we’d like to offer you a 10% discount on your next purchase.”
Superhuman used incentives like early access to new features in exchange for detailed feedback, which helped them gather high-quality insights and improve their product-market fit score.
Highlight Ownership
The endowment effect suggests that people value things more highly simply because they own them. Make respondents feel like stakeholders in your product’s development with questions like, “Help us improve your favorite features by sharing your feedback.” This approach helped Superhuman enhance user loyalty and engagement by involving users in the development process and making them feel like contributors. I go more in depth into fostering ownership here.
Stress Potential Losses
Loss aversion—the idea that people prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains—can be a powerful motivator. Frame questions to highlight potential losses with something like, “Without your feedback, we might miss out on enhancing the features you love most.” Superhuman’s surveys included such questions, prompting detailed and honest feedback crucial for their iterative development process.
Integrate Feedback Channels
Don’t rely solely on surveys. Use multiple feedback channels, such as user interviews, social media engagement, and customer support interactions. For example, Encharge used landing page tests and presales to validate their product-market fit, leveraging feedback from multiple sources to refine their approach.
Creating effective product-market fit surveys is about more than just asking questions. By framing questions positively, using contextual reminders, leveraging social proof, emphasizing reciprocity, highlighting ownership, and stressing potential losses, you can gather more accurate and actionable feedback. Superhuman’s journey offers a compelling example of how these principles can be applied to achieve significant improvements in product-market fit and user satisfaction.
About the Author
Angkan Mukherjee works in growth strategy for high growth companies and is a graduate of the ESADE business school in Barcelona. Outside work, he volunteers as a mentor at incubators like eWorks and loves getting involved in every aspect of building ventures. He gets excited to talk to others like him and you can find some time to talk to him here.
References
- Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein. “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.” Penguin Books, 2009.
- Daniel Kahneman. “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
- Failory. “How to Achieve Product Market Fit (+ 3 Case Studies).” Retrieved from Failory
- Hustle Badger. “How to achieve product market fit: A Superhuman case study.” Retrieved from Hustle Badger
- Zonka Feedback. “Product Market Fit Survey: Best Practices and Examples.” Retrieved from Zonka Feedback