Talk to users

How did I and my team talk to users?

Our product was a messaging and social platform that almost everyone in our country uses.

Every Tuesday and Thursday for an entire year:

• We left our office.
• We ventured into the real world, meeting users in their everyday environments. Students at school, teenagers at their hangouts, Uber drivers mid-trip, and more.
• Instead of following formal interview techniques, we encouraged users to share stories about how they integrated our app into their lives.
• We listened deeply and made genuine connections. Some of these users became lifelong friends.

Our goal is to see and understand how users use and integrate our app into their lives.

Throughout the year, we heard thousands of stories, explored countless social issues, and launched numerous updates based on the insights we gained. These were reflected in our healthy dashboard.

But the benefits extended far beyond the metrics:

• Our PM teammates felt a renewed love for the product.
• We understood that our work had an impact beyond KPIs
• We made feature decisions with a clear picture of our users' lives in mind.
• Our goal was no longer just market domination but something more profound.

This way of talking to the user is what I like most about being a product manager.

Even after discontinuing our regular user sessions, we maintained the habit of chatting with users in daily life, finding ways to continue those authentic conversations.

When people ask how to talk to users or set up the right process, my answer is always simple:

Just go talk to them

Skills, frameworks, and processes can be learned over time. Don't wait to master interviewing techniques or overcomplicate things.

Start now with simple, human conversations, and you'll be surprised by what you discover.