#161 - Learn More Faster About Customers with Michael Margolis of GV
E161

#161 - Learn More Faster About Customers with Michael Margolis of GV

This episode is all about learning from customers...early and often. Our guest, Michael Margolis, UX Research Partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures), has made a career of helping teams do this successfully. He joins to share his Bullseye Customer Method, which is the result of his experience (it's also the subject of his latest book, "Learn More Faster," which is available for free).

Michael breaks down the Bullseye Customer Method, including best practices for recruitment, question design, and analysis. He's found that research is more successful when it's a team effort, and shares ways to promote cross-team collaboration throughout the Bullseye process, like using watch parties for share-outs. Michael also weighs in (using his 30+ years in the industry) on topics like the current UX job market, the impact of AI on researchers, and the power democratization for resource-limited teams.

It's a must-listen for anyone working on early-stage products or struggling with visibility and buy-in from stakeholders.

Highlights
  • 06:33 Defining Core Value Proposition
  • 16:29 Founders' Key Concerns Analysis
  • 21:58 Clarifying Customer Understanding
  • 26:38 Effective Open-Ended Survey Questions
  • 31:46 Leveraging Associations for Networking
  • 43:01 Benefits of Team Watch Parties

About Michael
Michael joined GV in 2010 as the venture industry’s first UX research partner. As a UX researcher with over 30 years of experience, Michael has boosted conversion, tested new concepts, streamlined workflows, and defined bullseye customers for hundreds of companies. He helped develop the design sprint method made famous by the seminal book, Sprint. He has also written about his research work for startups at medium.com/@mmargolis

Resources

Episode Video

Creators and Guests

Carol Guest
Host
Carol Guest
Senior Director of Product at User Interviews
Erin May
Host
Erin May
Senior VP of Marketing & Growth at User Interviews
Michael Margolis
Guest
Michael Margolis
UX Research Partner at GV and author of Learn More Faster