"Talk to your users before you build anything"

People often say, “Talk to your users,” but rarely explain what that actually looks like.

For me, the mindset is simple: I’m trying to understand a problem they have. I’m not pitching, selling, or offering a solution.

Here’s how I approach it:

• Start with a goal. Know what you want to learn. I prepare a few key questions like: “How often does this happen?”, “How do you deal with it?”, “How much of a pain is it?”
• Find the right people. Talk to a few users who closely match your ideal customer. Three perfect fits are better than fifty partial matches.
• Reach out without selling. This is not about your product. It’s about their world.
• Ask real, open-ended questions. Encourage them to share stories and context that reveal the underlying pain.
• Look for patterns. You will start to notice common frustrations, language, or workarounds.

If you're interested in reading more, I have created a full article about the topic here:
https://wecofounder.com/articles/how-to-talk-to-users-before-you-build-anything

How do you talk to your users?