How We Work
Lean Customer Research® helps you reach real customers, bringing you valuable insights into key problems and solutions that will work in the marketplace.
How Well Do You Know Your Customers?
Our IdeaWorks specializes in connecting you to real people—potential and actual customers—to gain first-hand insights into their problems, their needs, and their behaviors. We uncover insights about how users are currently solving their problems. We help you identify which solutions address customer problems.
We get out there quickly and continually—and that is what “Lean Customer Research” is all about.
You may be
wondering ...
When should I get out to speak to potential or actual customers?
How do I find people who will speak with me truthfully and meaningfully?
What questions do I ask?
How many people do I need to engage?
What sort of tacit, non-verbal information can I glean from each interaction?
Ethnography
Ethnography, a technique from the field of anthropology, is used to understand how people live their lives. We visit customers in their homes, in their places of work, and in places of leisure to observe their behaviors and listen to them. Our IdeaWorks uses ethnography to reveal:
- The context in which customers are using your products and services
- Problems or frustrations they are experiencing and how they react
- The extent to which available products are addressing their needs
Interviews
Interviews are conducted one-on-one or with small groups within a family or company. We interview customers to hear their stories and find out about their needs. We determine whether customers are aware of our products and services. We talk to them about their buying habits. Interviews are either:
- Planned or ad-hoc
- Semi-structured or highly structured
- Focused on customer problems and assessing alternative solutions
Focus Groups
Focus groups are small, structured group discussions during which respondents reply to open-ended questions in their own words. Focus group participants are chosen to represent your target audience. Our IdeaWorks creates an environment where participants feel comfortable sharing information.
What Our clients are saying
