How Customer Interviews Creatively Uncover Insights for Product Innovation

MX Bites / August 30, 2024

Continuous innovation keeps the health of any product in check. In fact, one could say that products that no longer add new features are likely to be dead. As pivotal as innovations are, it’s almost impossible to get them right without interacting with your target audience through customer interview processes. Since customers interact with your products frequently and you are designing the product to satisfy them, the most important feedback you can get on your product is from them. However, getting feedback from customers goes beyond the conventional customer interview process, which only cares about what customers like and dislike about your product. It requires a creatively crafted question that inspires your customers to think unconventionally, explore possibilities, and uncover groundbreaking ideas that will transform your product and increase its market acceptability. 

Let’s take a deeper look at what kind of customer interview strategies really spur customers to release their creative potential and bring up ideas that can transform your business.

How to craft customer interview questions that drive innovation

Most customer interviews usually follow conventional methods that only seek to listen to customers complaints, what they like about the product, and what they think should be improved. Though that is not bad, what really drives groundbreaking innovations is mastering the strategy that taps into the creative potential of your customers and uncovers new insights for innovations. It’s such a rewarding process that can provide a notable shift in your business and give you a competitive edge. 

Let’s explore some strategies used in crafting customer interview questions that ignite their creativity.

1. Ask open-ended questions: This is obviously the foundation for any meaningful interview process. It allows customers to freely express their opinions without any constraint. Instead of asking customers straight questions about which products they like and dislike, ask thought-provoking questions like, “Assuming our product was flawless to you, what picture does it paint in your mind?” or “What’s your ideal experience of our product going to be like?” This is a brilliant way to get your customers to think and express all their hidden desires about your product. It also reveals areas that need improvement.
2. Craft futuristic questions about your product: Assuming all your customers are loyal and will continue using your product for years to come, they certainly don’t want to keep interacting with the exact same features all along. They’ll certainly desire to see notable improvements that will enhance their customer experience. So to find out what your customers want to see in your product or service in the future, it will spur them to think creatively about how to advance your solutions. 
3. Ask hypothetical questions. This will cause your customers to think wide and provide unimaginable suggestions that will bring about creative solutions. For example, ask hypothetical questions like, “If there were no limitations, how great do you think our product would be?” It’s a great way to reach deep into the minds of your customers and draw out creative solutions that will stay relevant for years.
4. Ask provocative questions. This may sound a little funny, but you can actually provoke your customers with questions that make them think outside the box. Ask unconventional questions such as this: “If our products did not exist, which alternative would you use and why?” This kind of question will definitely provoke customers to think beyond the normal to provide you with valuable solutions that can upskill your product.

You can also combine any of these techniques to creatively ask questions and spur your customers to provide new insights for product innovations.  

Best practices for conducting innovation-based customer interviews

When conducting customer interviews, there are a few ethics that should be put in place, some of which include:

• Create a safe space for customers to freely express themselves and avoid making gestures that make them feel uncomfortable or hold back when giving their responses. 
• Encourage customers to brainstorm before sharing their ideas; it gives them room to think deeply about each answer. Also, don’t put them in a rush to give their responses. Let them know it’s fine to take their time before providing responses.
• Use visual aids during the interview. Sometimes, your customers need to interact with some visuals, prototypes, sketches, and data visualization dashboards to drive their creativity and drive meaningful insights.
• Record and reflect on all customer responses, analyze the feedback, and use insights to make necessary adjustments to your products.

Conclusion 

Conducting customer interviews is a very rewarding process that can unlock a wealth of creative insights for your business’s advancement. It takes the act of harnessing the creative potential of your customers to unlock these insights. In all that is summed up above, the key to tapping into the creativity of customers through the interview process is to spur them to think beyond the conventional. This, in turn, challenges them to explore new possibilities that will transform the course of your business operations presently and in the future.