
Buy it from Amazon
Subtitle | How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you |
First Written | 2013 |
Genre | Business |
Origin | US |
Publisher | CreateSpace |
My Copy | cheap paperback |
First Read | September 18, 2024 |
The Mom Test
Short book - definitely could have been a blog post but it’s padded with a bunch of good examples, which I think actually help sell the idea. So I’m not MAD it’s a full book. Anyway, picked it up for my BNB Book Report series, where I read a business book and then summarize it for the team at Brand New Box (so they don't have to).
The thesis is about customer interviews, getting feedback about your startup idea. It’s not user testing in particular but I think the basic principles are the same. But in general, Everyone is Lying to You, and you need to just find out how to have customer interviews that just report on past user behavior, not asking them to predict the future or give their opinions. Because in short, people are NICE and they will white lie you to death.
I thought the ‘mom test’ was about UX, making something that is easy enough ‘for your mom to use’. But actually it’s ‘are you good enough at customer interviews that you can get useful info from your MOM, who definitely loves you and will lie to you to protect your feelings.
So:
1. Ask the right questions. Dont’ focus on opinions. Look for past behavior and actual needs and pain points.
2. Don’t fish for compliments or ask leading questions. Never ask: ‘would you use this?’ Or ‘what do you think about x’ ?
3. Just find out about their problems. Only when you validate that the problem is painful and important, then try to find out if people would pay to solve it.
4. Past behavior is more valuable than future intention. Road to hell, etc.
5. LISTEN. Talk less. Take notes.
6. Set goals for the convo. Like: understand their problem. Assess if it’s valuable. Figure out how they make decisions about buying things.
7. Can you get the customer to make a commitment now? Eg $ or time or reputation? If not they are not buying from you, no matter what they say.
Noted on September 24, 2024
In many ways this rhyme with my lecture on user testing that I give in UX courses. Get excited to be wrong. Ask the scary question. Love BAD news. Don’t ask them to predict the future. Don’t ask for opinions. Etc.
Noted on September 24, 2024
Short book - definitely could have been a blog post but it’s padded with a bunch of good examples, which I think actually help sell the idea. So I’m not MAD it’s a full book. Anyway, picked it up for my BNB Book Report series.
Noted on September 24, 2024