AMA: Bluevine Senior Director of Product Management, Aaron Bloom on User Interviews

AI features should be evaluated using the same prioritization frameworks that your organization would apply to any other product initiative. This ensures that potential roadmap items are compared on equal terms and that investments are directed toward the initiatives that deliver the most value to customers and the business.That said, given the current market emphasis on AI, these features may carry outsized marketing or strategic value, which can increase their perceived impact or opportunity s ...Read More

Communicating user interview findings effectively is about balancing clarity with transparency. A strong approach is to synthesize the raw input into clear themes, key pain points, and opportunities. These can be supported by direct quotes or short clips that remove the chance for bias in the translation. Tailor the level of detail to your audience - executives may need high-level insights and implications, while designers or engineers might benefit from more granular context. To build trust and ...Read More

Consistency across interviewers is key to collecting feedback that can be compared fairly across participants. The best way to achieve this is by creating a discussion guide or checklist that outlines the questions to be asked and the way they should be introduced. This ensures that each interviewer covers the same core topics without unintentionally leading the participant. I generally try to avoid relying on a full script, since it can limit organic learning and often feels more clinical from ...Read More

User interviews can provide valuable insights at any stage of the product lifecycle, but they’re also a time-intensive investment for both the team and the customer. To get the most value, it’s important to be clear on what you’re trying to learn and how dependent you are on interviews versus other feedback sources.In early discovery, interviews are most useful for uncovering customer needs, pain points, and frameworks that help shape the problem before solutions are defined. In mid-stage valida ...Read More

When structuring user interviews, I like to start by setting the stage - sharing the agenda, introducing myself, and explaining the purpose of the interview. I’ll also gather some general background on the customer - what they do, how they use the product, etc. This provides valuable context and helps get them more comfortable for the remainder of the interview. From there, I move into my discussion guide or checklist. While I use this to ensure core topics are covered, I’ve found the richest in ...Read More

Before deciding who should attend user interviews, it’s important to involve all key stakeholders (e.g. engineering, design, marketing, product) in the planning process. This includes aligning on the business goals of the research, which customers to speak with, and the discussion guide itself. That upfront collaboration ensures everyone’s needs are represented and creates stronger buy-in for the findings.When it comes to the actual session, the priority should be the customer experience. Too ma ...Read More