Product managers and UX teams often grapple with creating solutions that cater to diverse user bases. Effective product testing is essential in this process, and it should focus on understanding user needs and tasks rather than merely segmenting audiences by demographics. Today, we’re going to dig into four key aspects of testing products for multiple audiences: understanding the pitfalls of demographic segmentation, utilizing needs-based research, integrating marketing descriptors without limiting research, and shifting from marketing-driven to user-centric development.
- Understanding the pitfalls of demographic segmentation
Segmenting audiences based on demographics like age, income, and location is a common practice in product development. But just because it’s common practice doesn’t mean it’s the best approach. Why? Because demographics often fail to capture the true diversity of user needs and behaviors, leading to incomplete or inaccurate insights.
Consider a fitness app that’s segmented based on age groups. While this might seem logical, it overlooks the fact that users within the same age group can have vastly different fitness goals and routines. A 30-year-old marathon runner and a 30-year-old beginner looking to lose weight will interact with the app differently because their needs are different. Relying solely on demographics can lead to misunderstandings about user behavior, resulting in a product that doesn't fully meet the needs of its users.
- Utilizing needs-based or jobs-to-be-done research
Needs-based or jobs-to-be-done research is an important way of exploring user needs. This method involves identifying the tasks users want to accomplish and the problems they are trying to solve. Conducting needs-based research typically involves user interviews and task analysis to gather detailed insights into user behaviors and motivations.
The steps to conduct needs-based research include:
- Conducting in-depth user interviews to understand their goals and challenges
- Analyzing tasks to identify common patterns and needs
- Categorizing these needs to inform product development
When you focus on the jobs users want to get done (rather than relying on the general insights from demographic segmentation), you’re much better able to design features that satisfy their needs.
3. Integrating marketing descriptors without limiting research
While marketing descriptors like household income and lifestyle can provide valuable insights, they shouldn’t be the “bible” of user research. Instead, these descriptors should be integrated into a broader research strategy that focuses on—you guessed it—user needs and tasks.
One strategy to balance marketing and user research is to use marketing descriptors as a starting point but then dig deeper into understanding user behaviors and motivations.
Companies like Harry & David and Zoom are examples of successfully balancing marketing and user research. Harry & David uses demographic data to inform marketing campaigns but also conducts extensive user research to understand how customers interact with its products. Similarly, Zoom uses demographic insights to inform its marketing while continuously gathering feedback to improve the user experience.
- Shifting from marketing-driven to user-centric development
By now, you’ve picked up that we’re big on making sure research and design are focused on the users themselves. But, we’re aware that adopting a user-centric approach in product testing and development requires a significant mindset shift for most companies.
Here are some practical tips for product managers and UX teams who are serious about adopting a user-centric approach:
- Regularly conducting user research to gather insights into user needs and behaviors.
- Involving users in the product development process through feedback sessions and usability testing.
- Focusing on solving real user problems rather than just meeting marketing objectives.
Effective product testing for multiple audiences requires a focus on user needs and tasks rather than demographic segmentation. Doing so ensures the creation of products that satisfy the needs of diverse user bases, which leads to greater satisfaction and success.