Hey Reader,

I guess this is the Halloween edition of R4A, even though it's not til next week. Maybe Halloween isn't a big deal where you live, but here in Canada, my neighbours are really going all out. The guy across the street has a 2-storey inflatable ghost that my toddler is equal parts in love with and terrified of -- we have to visit "the ghosty" every time we go outside, but she also hides behind my legs while we're doing it.

I've also made a big commitment this year: we're going to be the house that gives out full-size chocolate bars! Every neighbourhood needs a house like that, and I've always wanted it to be mine. But once you start doing it, you can't go back or else you let the kids down, so I guess I've made a decision that will alter the trajectory of the rest of my life.

✨ Your users aren't psychics or product managers

In my current research project, the team I'm working with really wants to figure out what new features it should prioritize in 2025. I find that this is a really common reason behind requests for research -- companies could spend their time creating anything, so why not find out what users want so you can spend time focusing on just those things?

In a past issue of this newsletter, I included a LinkedIn post that discussed the (in)famous Henry Ford quote, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” The idea is that asking users directly about what they want isn't going to get you the right answer for two key reasons...

1. Your users aren't product or design experts. It's really difficult to suggest a good solution to a problem, especially if that solution doesn't exist yet (like cars rather than faster horses). Your users are experts on their needs and the problems they're experiencing, but they aren't experts in designing solutions for those problems on-the-fly.
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2. Humans suck at predicting what they will do in the future. You can ask users if they would use something or buy something in the future and they will enthusiastically say "yes!", but they aren't psychics -- they really have no idea what they will do. When the future rolls around, you may find that their actual behaviour ends up being very different than what they predicted, and those shiny features you created end up going untouched.

Instead of asking people what they want or what they think they they will do in the future, spend your time deeply understanding their needs, pain points, motivations, and goals. This will equip you with the knowledge you need as a product/design expert to do your own thinking on potential solutions. You may also want to consider an Assumption Slam exercise as a way to prioritize particular areas to focus on for your new features.

Later, once your team has a good sense of potential solutions it may want to create, it's fine to "concept test" these solutions with users. You can do this well by describing the solution concept to them and asking them non-leading questions like "What do you think about that idea?". If they seem to think it's a good concept, make sure you get them to describe what, specifically, they find useful or appealing about it, and ask them questions that encourage them to give specific, concrete examples of situations in the past where they would have used it (if it had been available). And invite them to poke holes in your concept too -- have them talk through anything that makes it seem like it's actually not the perfect fit for their needs.

Next time you're getting requests to ask users what they like or what they want, try this approach instead and let me know what happens!

Here's the post that inspired me to write what I wrote above. I love a reference to the Homer Car.

🎟️ Events

October 23: Research for startups According to Michael Margolis, the quickest way to accelerate a team’s progress is to expose them directly to their customers so they see the world and their products through customers’ eyes. Learn how Michael does this so you can find your ideal customer and product faster. Get free ticket

October 24: Managing for design impact: Strategic 1:1s Learn how to take a strategic approach to the critical 1x1 touchpoint so you can connect your team members to bigger impact, stronger purpose and more joyful work. Get free ticket

October 25: How to drive impact with customer insights Join me and cross-cultural research expert Ruby Pryor at 9am ET for a casual fireside chat about some of the biggest topics in UX research right now -- including research prioritization, communication, and tooling. Get free ticket

October 30: Become a high-impact UX researcher In today's landscape of layoffs, AI, and tight budgets, being a successful UX researcher takes more than simply good research skills— it takes business acumen. Carol Rossi interviews Judd Antin, who will share actionable insights and tips on thriving in this dynamic environment. Get free ticket

November 1: How Duolingo approaches pricing & packaging Learn how the responsibilities of pricing and packaging overlap with the roles of product leadership, as well as how to build financial acumen for product, in this conversation with Matt Long, Senior Director of Product at Duolingo. Get free ticket

Last week, I was panicking because I had too much work. This week I'm panicking because I want to make sure I have enough work lined up for November / December. Ahh, the life of a freelancer.

🎒 Tools & Resources

Course - User interview skills for designers & PMs My course is back for the final cohort of the year, and you get 20% off as a reader of this newsletter :) Come join me for 3 weeks of live workshops, self-paced videos, and tons of time for practice & feedback! Get 20% off

Tool - PebbleTalk This curated facilitation deck of questions and prompts from the good folks at Made Manifest designed to build team connections. The deck features thoughtful, vetted questions you'll feel comfortable asking anyone — even if you have nothing in common! Check it out

Podcast episode - The entry level paradox: Breaking into UX It seems like every job requires experience, but you can’t get experience without a job. If that’s the case, how do you break into the UX industry? Check out this interview with Mitch Clements, senior product design manager at nCino. Listen from Beyond UX Design

Course - Product strategy for designers Femke is back with the final 2024 cohort of her wildly successful course. Over 8 live calls and 27 video lessons, learn to advocate for your ideas, influence product and step up your design career. Check it out

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Okay, that's all for now, Reader -- hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you again soon. ​ -- Elizabeth @ Research For All

Elizabeth Creighton​
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👾 The Bonus Level

Your reward for scrolling down this far is the coolest UX I've ever seen for a cookbook (even if her recipes seem to involve zero seasoning??) Congrats!