HACKER Q&A
📣 babelfish

How do you survey your target market before you have a product?


Hi folks,

It's often said that you should start interviewing your target market before you start building your product to make sure you're building something /they actually want/ (or hitting pain points they actually have). What is your favorite tool for this? I've seen services like GLG Research + other market research firms, but wondering if there was an easier or cheaper way to survey mass amounts of folks with a specific profession (for example, wanting to survey 1,000 teachers).

Thanks!

  👤 mindcrime Accepted Answer ✓
Surveys probably aren't your best bet, for various reasons. People don't want to answer them, or they don't answer honestly, or they don't offer the opportunity to drill into the whitespace between your pre-selected answers, etc.

Direct, one-on-one conversations with individuals will probably give you more "bang for your buck" in this regard.

Also, I personally would not recommend outsourcing something this important to a 3rd party firm. Make the calls and do the interviews yourself if at all possible.

My suggestion is to read The Four Steps To The Epiphany and follow the advice contained within.