Lecture 16 - How to Run a User Interview (Emmett Shear)

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Emmett-shear-l...
Building product, and talking to users. In the early stages of your startup, those are the two things you should focus on.
In this lecture, Emmett Shear, Founder and CEO of Justin.tv and Twitch, covers the latter. What can you learn by talking to users that you can’t learn by looking at data? What questions should you ask? How can user interviews define or redefine your product goals?
See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec16/
Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-t...
This video is under Creative Commons license: creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@EmbraceTheHustle7013]

I think Stephanie is a really good (insightful) person to conduct User Interviews on 👏👏

[@chapterme]

Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) - 00:00 - Intro: Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch, discusses user interviews 00:25 - Startup mistakes: Avoiding users and building greatness 03:08 - Gaming market insights gained through user interaction 03:38 - Twitchs user insights led to product success 06:25 - Building a lecture-focused notetaking app with user feedback 08:20 - Who to Interview 10:52 - College students, IT administrators, parents, critical users 12:20 - Example User Interview with Stephanie 13:35 - Google Docs vs Evernote for notetaking 14:51 - Notetaking habits for different types of events 15:50 - Questions to Avoid 18:50 - Ideas: One feature on top of Google Docs 21:17 - Google Docs Sticky notetaking, collaborative, mobile 21:45 - Validate 23:50 - Minimum Required to Validate 25:32 - Twitch feedback from broadcasters, not features 29:39 - Talking to Non-Broadcasters helps grow market 34:46 - Common Mistakes 36:30 - Getting Buy-in from Users 37:31 - Do we insist on Skype Interviews for Recording 38:08 - Detective mode vs email interviews 38:41 - International Market: User Interviews 39:46 - Channels: Contacting users via messaging systems and onsite feedback 40:56 - User Feedback Tools: Onsite user feedback vs data-driven feedback 42:06 - Treating Groups 43:08 - Talking to Video Game Industry 45:08 - How do you give good user feedback? 46:16 - Outro

[@beak90sfx]

This lecture should've been 2nd or 3rd. This seems much more focused on early startup stuff, even though it's near the end of the series.

[@wasikhan7741]

Y'all, I actually followed along with the *interactive* session in this video so like if anyone is nerdy enough to do the same copy/paste yours as a reply here. We can learn shit, not only passively watch this you know. _Figuring out who to talk to for the lecture note-app (__07:39__)_ This idea is to build a note-taking app for lectures (online/offline). So, let's see, the key question here I think is 'lectures' which are essentially monolgues. Sometimes meetings turn into monologues as well. So I would interview students (the obvious choice), secretaries (since they probably keep notes during meetings), educators (to ask if they'd like a way to streamline their lectures and team leaders. _Summary of the user interview with Stephanie (__12:35__)_ The first question he asked was: what are your note taking habits? How are you taking notes today? Then, interjected the girl to ask 'what software do you use to do those things today?' (13:00) seemed like a play to get competitors). She said pen and paper: so like no direct competition or like too hard a competition. Follows that with, do you actually go back and look back at these notes? (Emmett boi is tryna get to the core). The discussion then moved to software and he asked what she uses and she says Google Docs and Evernote (this time we have name ya'll). She said she uses two tools, next question then becomes why two tools? (To be honest, a lot of use use two tools to do one job today it's sad). Anyways, so she said that she uses Google docs when she's working with people and Evernote for solo use and then exclaims 'I wish it was integrated'. To be honest, she'... Next question is 'Do you go back to seeing those notes?'. She says not so much.But then she reveals that she doesn't take notes only in class and outside as well (She may be a poweruser folks). _One feature that convinces Stephanie to switch from Google Docs_ (19:40) It's easy to say integration since she explicitly asked for it. One option is to let her download her evernotes (do they call it that?) to Google Docs via a plugin. But assuming that we have to compete with Google Docs explicity (as Emmett says) by one-upping a feature I would say adding a feature called 'Recall' would do the trick and what that would do is to highlight some areas in her documents and sort in their own place within our app so she could just scroll down to see if she's up to speed on one the shit that she should know.

[@AramDovlatyan]

Awesome, thank you for this.

[@El_Diablo_12]

10:00 I’d talk to professional note takers, like scribes, paralegals, academic paper reviewers, court writers. 32:30 33:40 analytics vs customer interviews

[@gaurav7047]

One important point mentioned at 17:20 is don't ask for features cause you'll design a faster horse and not the actual product.

[@gaurav7047]

Another point is , Google analytics and the likes tell you what people like and where they come from and do on, but not tell you where you need to go as a company. As in, when you ask people what they want, they will tell you that they need a way to make money using your platform. You can't get that our of Analytics.

[@gaurav7047]

Another point is, it is important for users to ramble. Just talk. Talk about the stuff happening in their lives. Because , the more they talk about their wants, needs and the context , we can understand the "why" of what they want ...and that is important to understand.

[@DushyantJoshiNewZealand]

I like the approach of the speaker. Nice.

[@SamA-zf9sp]

"Design Thinking" is one of the best methodologies to build a user-centric product! I love it.

[@emoryolsoff96]

I think this account is Sam Altman

[@JulienReszka]

It really is not

[@user-pj3tl9hv9f]

8 years later, the show host is now the CEO of the greatest AI company in the world.

[@Zero-xl7ly]

Just a few months later, the show’s host was fired from the greatest AI company in the world, and the guest was brought in as interim CEO lol

[@TristanBailey]

and then rehired and change or board, moves faster than the YT recommendations.

[@barkinozdemir1790]

@@TristanBailey and now soon SORA hits market

[@gaurav7047]

1. Whom will I go talk to = who desperately wants to solve the particular problem 2. Dont dismiss a point made by the user under the assumption that it is only for the specific user and that it does not correlate to the broader set

[@MPhilips]

"Like" was uttered 10,674 times during this video.

[@manimnaHusna]

The most important point start at 25:41

[@StanGanweizhong]

Useful,thank you!

[@Mithilproof]

This is gem 💎

[@mariamsargsyan2981]

If you’re building something that is just for you then you don’t need to talk to anyone else. Most startups are not just built for the person that is using them. The first question for any startup is who is my user and where am I going to find them? You don’t want to talk to just one type of person. In interviews you want to stay as far away from features as possible. It is important to talk to many extremes of people. For example, my friends and me did interview in many villages to find out the problems related to greenhouses in order to be able to find a good solution for them and also get to know whether they will use it or not. If you ask a user if a feature is good they will tell you it is great. You cannot ask if a feature is actually good or not. Get people to give you their credit card and you can guarantee they are interested in the feature. Data doesn’t tell you where you need to go. It doesn’t tell you what the problems are that you need to address. So, be attentive.

[@DomiSiki]

"Don't show them (potential customers) your product, you want to learn what is already in their head, not puting things there" very common mistakes every (excited) startup ceo doing

[@PassportGods]

I found that contradicting. Cus at 41:00 he says it is important to show people something that you built.

[@optimize.]

Shlomo Great Good points and you're both right. I think the idea is often to do both. You begin by asking open-ended questions to discover your target audience's behavior, problems and needs. After you have a good idea of this you can show and discuss your ideas/solution to get feedback on your current direction. It's a lot like a funnel in this sense. Always go broad (open-ended, not filling anything in) to narrow (your solution, product, etc.). Cheers from Amsterdam

[@cspo]

Buddha - Kings Inc. "The idea is to do both, often" (little edit that changes everything)

[@HanisaMohamed]

Dominik Sikiric customers don't know what they want most of the time. Steve jobs never made the iPhone as a result from asking customers what they want

[@AllanNjoroge]

22.07 - It is called Google Keep.

[@AdeelKhan1]

"I wish I could tell you who the target user is...there is no recipe. It comes down to thinking really hard and intelligently" (paraphrased)

[@rdrocketandduck3573]

Why this is lecture #16? Well, at least I know it now and I like Emmett (just got a like from Emmett on my random tweet as well). Focus on the gamer & broadcaster not the viewer

[@sheikhmuhammedtadeeb5677]

Amazing

[@yashjangid567]

I would like to talk with the Last(Cause lazy students will use it more & in what way do they need it) & first(Cause whether they want any graphs, diagrams or any pictorial stuff to learn differently and efficiently) row students. Next would be the professors about how you are gonna deliver the lecture thats gonna be input to our application.

[@wasikhan7741]

The sip at 34:54 should be a gif...like that sip was so tiny why even sip at all?

[@inkmanworkshop]

2023 November update -Interesting that it's Sam Altman who "welcomes" Shear as the new CEO of Openai. Interesting twist of events. However Altman goes back as CEO in a few days. 😂😂😂

[@PatrickGrayL06]

How do you get your competitor's feedback?

[@Najrani]

Not bad lecture although Shear has different opinions from other representers regarding how to do feeding

[@user-cw5ot2ip4v]

Run your ads on TV's and internet and newspapers

[@PatrickGrayL06]

+Carolyn Lincoln From what I can recall from watching the video, he mentioned something about getting competitors comments.

[@highjinx411]

I learned user interviewing techniques like this called the cooper method. If more companies used this method it would save a lot of headaches and create useful products. Why they do not use them baffles me.

[@atomscott425]

24:04 This is a good talk, but is it that good? lol

[@ashrock1990]

No

[@jesusmiguel1560]

Hey, I am creating an app aimed at college students; great lecture, and highly relevant for me.

[@PassportGods]

What kind of app is it

[@jesusmiguel1560]

Shlomo Great An app, that connects users that are studying the same subject, get together and learn better. I know, it's not that great of an app, but it's my first venture; I am primarily doing this app to validate another idea I have.

[@PassportGods]

Jesus-Pierre Salgado III Oh i see. What's the other idea if you don't mind sharing. You can also message me lol.

[@jesusmiguel1560]

Shlomo Great The app is still an idea, not related at all to the previous app I mentioned; I am just trying to research the college age student market. The idea is like an app were a student can browse ready made food and be delivered to them. I still have to find out if they would use the app, and if they have the money for my service.

[@Ayush_kumar123]

Bro how did your app did?

[@user-cw5ot2ip4v]

And design your own website

[@IArenaM]

Wheres Kappa?

[@maverick_kaizen]

Kya bolti Company Machayenge

[@TheForthemankind]

5:36

[@r.a.1043]

Like

[@topmemecompilations4126]

Where is Stephanie ?

[@carloselizondo1758]

24:04 the climax

[@Truth4Power]

No HD, just 360p??

[@shubhamsingla7048]

idk but he looks like Sheldon from Big Bang theorey 😂

[@modanq]

Notion has entered the chat...

[@stephaniepolanco5905]

The girl is cute asf. The lecture was good btwm

[@sayandsathish2159]

Yeah Stephanie you are xD

[@dksangyoon]

Respect to him for being an amazing entrepreneur, but it's frustrating to follow his train of thought and take notes. Too much "um, huh, like"

[@kenkrak4649]

he talks like ben shapiro

[@KubeckiOfficial]

Why is everyone saying LIKE all the time??? Annoying...

[@wahhmann123]

cuz like all their friends like to talk like this you know like

[@untitledop3071]

+wahhmann123 I think there is a documentary on this somewhere on youtube

[@spencereverett2455]

+HarryCroco She's nervous. She's not good at public speaking. There's probably a few reasons. Why do you use your punctuation marks in multiples of three?

[@paulperole]

+Spencer Everett "..." also known as "ellipsis" IS a punctuation mark and can show hesitation or uncertainty, among other things.

[@hieroglyph321]

What's even more annoying is when I catch myself saying it. #viral

[@maneeshapte6883]

how is this content free

[@BrettCoryell]

TLDR: uh, um, ahh, so, like, and, think about it and talk to people fer real, ahh, uh, so, like, and, ummm.

[@user-cw5ot2ip4v]

And design your own website