UX Research with no users

A methodology to do research even when your product is still an idea

So you are a UX Designer and you are working on a really good digital product. You are used to run some regular user interviews, interpret your web analytics and BOOM! you know who your users are, their needs and their behaviours.

Easy, right!? But, what if your product is just an idea?
Or your company found a new business opportunity for a totally different target?

Luckily you have a list of requirements but no clue who’s going touse your new product.

Based on the briefing and on the product requirements you have tons of information to start looking for your new users without even having put a pixel on that empty artboard. Here is quick checklist on how to find your future users:

1. Assumptions!

First things first: assumptions! Nothing new on this point, even more so if you are already familiar with Jake Knapp’s Design Sprint process.

Make a list of everything your team thought about the new product. Most importantly how they suppose users will behave. I said *Everything*. What your team thought is going to be true and what your team thought is wrong. For both lists, add some why’s.

Gentle Reminder: You are not your user ;)

2. Competition

Who are your competitors? Who are their users? What channels are they using? Which tasks are they solving well? What comments can you find on social media, app stores, forums about their product? Are they missing any tasks?

See how generous your competitors are?!

3. Real World Analogies

Oh, the new product will be virtual terrain to plant carrots and lettuces?! Great! What about visiting a vegetable garden?! Take some days to observe what time people water vegetables, how they water plants, how they organize the terrain. Bring them some lemonade and ask them how is a day in their lives. It’s not the digital experience but at least your team can anticipate some similar needs and task flows.

4. Cross Innovation

What is cross-innovation?! Cross-innovation is when you find other products or services in a completely different industry presenting a solution for an analogous behaviour. Do you remember that baggage carousel in the airport? A traveller waiting for their bags once realised that same contraption could have served them some sushi on the way? That’s cross-innovation. In that case, you can learn a few useful ideas from people waiting for their luggage. See?! Users everywhere!

So, stop finding excuses to say “oh, we don’t even have an MVP how are we going to find our users?!”, get your ass moving and start looking for your future user concerns and needs.

Move!

Ah! Don’t forget to revisit your assumptions a few months after the first release and along with your team, check out what has come true and what has turned out to be completely contrary to your expectations. You’ll be surprised.