Yes, and…
It can be very useful to understand how much people do pay for things and why, if only to get a grasp on how totally context dependent pricing is and how irrational people are.
And you have to be very mindful of how you gather this information.
It can be very useful to understand how much people do pay for things and why, if only to get a grasp on how totally context dependent pricing is and how irrational people are.
And you have to be very mindful of how you gather this information.
I have this conversation with clients all the time, and was just having it yesterday.
"How much would you pay for [x]?" is the ultimate question-you-can't-ask-directly.
Even "How much have you paid for [y] in the past?" can raise all sorts of defenses.
"How much would you pay for [x]?" is the ultimate question-you-can't-ask-directly.
Even "How much have you paid for [y] in the past?" can raise all sorts of defenses.
Figuring out what bucket of money the [x] you're trying to sell comes out of is very helpful.
Individuals and businesses all have multiple different buckets with different rules. We all know this, but don't talk about it enough in product design.
Individuals and businesses all have multiple different buckets with different rules. We all know this, but don't talk about it enough in product design.
Figuring out which bucket the cost of your [x] comes out of is definitely something research can help with.
It's kind of like JTBD, but that framing can lead you astray. Analogous thinking is powerful when you get it right, but it's tricky and disastrous if you get it wrong.
It's kind of like JTBD, but that framing can lead you astray. Analogous thinking is powerful when you get it right, but it's tricky and disastrous if you get it wrong.
You have to know everything that is going on around that purchase decision. "Everything" includes a lot that doesn't show up in analytics. And a lot that people don't admit to themselves.
This is why it's important not to narrow the focus of your questions too quickly.
This is why it's important not to narrow the focus of your questions too quickly.
Asking a lot of open-ended questions about what people have done recently during their days in general or in certain scenarios will tell you more about what you want to know if you know what to listen for.
Asking direct, pointed questions often elicits a pack of lies.
Asking direct, pointed questions often elicits a pack of lies.
And the problem with JTBD is that it can be great to help you break free of your organization's narrow view of value and product categories, but that's where utility ends.
Purchasers do not actually think of themselves as "hiring" milkshakes or other things to do jobs.
Purchasers do not actually think of themselves as "hiring" milkshakes or other things to do jobs.
Management consultants forget that most people aren't managers and don't think like them.
Hiring and firing are not part of the average person's conceptual model of life. So it's ridiculous to think that framing is customer-centered.
Hiring and firing are not part of the average person's conceptual model of life. So it's ridiculous to think that framing is customer-centered.
Somewhere between "What would you pay for this app?" and "Future behavior is unknowable so don't bother doing research" are all the things you can actually learn that will help you make better decisions and expend less wasted effort.
…if you are interested in learning things.
…if you are interested in learning things.
"You can't learn anything that will help you build something unless you build something." is a wasteful mindset.
It's popular because capitalism demands waste.
It's popular because capitalism demands waste.
