Decoding User Frustrations to Design Better Products 💯

Hey mindful PM! It’s Aneesha 👋 

As Product Managers (and Designers), it comes as a MUST-HAVE for us to empathize with our users and their frustrations.

User frustration is a goldmine for product designers. It helps you know what you’re doing, what you should improve, and things you need to focus on as build your product.

Unfortunately, new PMs often find understanding users and the “right” problems a bit difficult to crack 😢. Fret not! Because you have Aneesha 😎!

Let’s supercharge your approach to user-centric design without any delay!

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• And much more…

Learn from the industry’s top leader and coach, Dave Kline!

Things you’re taking away today from Twice the Impact PM 👇️:

• What truly sparks user frustrations?

• Taking a multi-faceted and holistic approach to addressing user frustrations

• A framework to make user-centric design your go-to 💯!

The Root Cause of User Frustrations 😡

What makes your users unhappy or discontented?

User frustration or discontentment stems from a perceived disconnect between their expectations and a product's capabilities.

These disconnects can take any shape or form:

1. Complexity: Overly complex interfaces with unclear navigation overwhelm users.

2. Inconsistency: Inconsistent design language (terminology, layout, color) throughout a product disrupts the user’s flow.

3. Lack of intuitiveness: Features that require extensive learning curves or defy user intuition lead to frustration.

4. Hidden functionality: Valuable features buried deep within menus go unnoticed, hindering user goals.

5. Error-prone interactions: Systems prone to errors (e.g., requiring multiple attempts to complete a task) lead to user abandonment.

As you read each point on the above list, I am sure you imagined or at least remembered your past negative experiences as a user.

Let’s now look at different ways to address these user frustrations.

Holistic Approach to Addressing User Frustrations ⚖️ 

To avoid these frustrations, you need to take a multi-faceted and holistic approach.

Conduct User Research 🔍️ 

User research is the cornerstone of user-centric design.

It's not just about understanding what users say they want; it's about observing how they interact with your product and uncovering the underlying struggles and pain points that might not be readily apparent.

Conduct user interviews, surveys, and usability testing to observe user interactions firsthand. This allows you to witness their struggles and identify pain points.

Here’s how each of the 3 methods helps you identify user frustrations:

1. User Interviews:

• Uncover the "Why":
  
  Move beyond surface-level feedback. User interviews provide a platform for in-depth conversations, allowing you to explore users' motivations, goals, and thought processes.
  
  Ask "why" questions to understand the reasoning behind their actions and frustrations.
  
  

  Example ✅:
  
  Interviewer: "The checkout seems slow. Can you tell me more about what's frustrating you?"

  User: "Well, it seems like every time I enter my billing address, it takes a long time to load and verify. It's like it forgets what I typed earlier."
  
  This "why" question reveals a potential bug in the address verification system, which could be causing unnecessary delays and frustration.
  

• Tailored Exploration: 
  
  Unlike surveys, interviews can be tailored to each participant. Follow up on interesting insights and delve deeper into specific pain points they mention.
  
  Example ✅:
  
  Initial frustration: They mention difficulty assigning tasks to team members.

  Tailored Exploration: Instead of rigidly following a script, you can delve deeper:

  • "Can you walk me through your typical workflow when assigning tasks?"

  • "What specific information do you need to access when assigning tasks?"
    

• Emotional Intelligence: 
  
  Pay attention to nonverbal cues like hesitation, frustration, or excitement. These can reveal underlying emotions and attitudes towards your product that might not be explicitly stated.
  
  Example ✅:

  
  You’re interviewing a user about a new feature in your fitness app. They verbally agree it's "interesting," but their body language tells a different story:

  • Crossed arms and furrowed brows: These could indicate skepticism or confusion about the feature's purpose.

  • Shifting in their seat and avoiding eye contact: This might suggest discomfort or a sense of being overwhelmed by the new functionality.

  • A delayed response followed by a forced smile: This could signal a desire to please the interviewer while masking true feelings of frustration or difficulty understanding the feature.

2. Surveys:

• Reaching a Wide Audience:
  Surveys allow you to gather feedback from a large and diverse user base, providing a broader perspective on user sentiment.

• Identifying Trends: 
  Analyze survey data to identify trends and common pain points. Look for correlations between demographics and specific frustrations.

• Quantitative Insights: 
  Surveys provide valuable quantitative data, allowing you to prioritize issues based on how widespread they are among your user base.

3. Usability Testing:

• Observing Behavior: 
  Usability testing allows you to witness user interactions with your product firsthand. Watch how they navigate, complete tasks, and react to different features.
  
  Examples ✅:
  

  I’m taking an example of a travel booking application here.

• Hovering over a button but hesitating to click: This could indicate unclear button labeling or a lack of trust in the booking process.

• Frowning and muttering to themself while trying to compare different travel packages: This suggests difficulty in filtering or comparing options, leading to frustration.

• Skipping over entire sections of the website: This might reveal irrelevant or overwhelming content that distracts users from completing their goals.

What you should do 👇

Uncovering Friction Points: 
Observe where users get lost, encounter errors, or exhibit signs of frustration. This reveals specific design elements that might be causing problems.

“Thinking Aloud” Method: 
Encourage users to "think aloud" as they navigate the product. This verbalization process reveals their thought processes and helps identify any unexpected cognitive strain they might be experiencing.

Example ✅:

You’re testing a new mobile app for ordering food. A user might silently navigate the app, seemingly completing the task. However, by asking them to "think aloud," you might hear:

• "Hmm, I wonder where the vegetarian options are..." (The user might not have noticed the clearly labeled "Vegetarian" category)

• "Okay, I've added everything to my cart... but how do I actually pay?" (Confusing checkout button placement might be causing a mental block)

• "Ugh, this is taking forever to load... maybe I'll just call the restaurant instead." (Slow loading times might be leading to frustration and abandonment)

User Feedback ⭐️ 

If you’re going to develop a product, you need user feedback. Without it, it’s just a piece of software out in the wild, for basically no one to use 🗑️.

The best part is, you have so many sources to hunt for user feedback. You don’t always need to talk to them firsthand.

There are so many other ways than talking to them directly:

• In-app surveys: 
  
  Embed short, targeted surveys within your product at key points in the user journey. These surveys can capture immediate feedback on specific features or ask users about their overall satisfaction.
  
  

  

  Sample in-app survey, Source: Delighted

  
  

• Support tickets: 
  
  Analyze user support tickets to identify recurring issues and pain points. These tickets often reveal areas where the product is confusing or doesn't meet user expectations.
  

• Social media engagement: Encourage user interaction on social media platforms. Respond to comments and questions, and use polls or Q&A sessions to gather feedback on new features or design ideas.

  

  Source: Canny

• Usability testing: 
  
  Observe users interacting with your product firsthand. See where they encounter difficulties and identify areas for improvement in usability and user interface (UI) design.

Data Analysis 📈

Data analysis helps you learn the “what” and “when” behind your users’ frustrations.

For example, you can leverage website analytics and user behavior data to understand user journeys and identify drop-off points where frustration might be occurring.

Here are some ways data analysis informs user-centric design:

• Prioritizing Feature Development: Focus on improving features used most often by your target audience.

• Optimizing Content Placement: Ensure key information is displayed prominently based on user attention patterns.

• Streamlining User Flows: Simplify navigation based on user journeys and eliminate unnecessary steps in task completion.

• A/B Testing: Test different design variations to see which layouts or functionalities lead to increased user engagement and reduced drop-off rates.

Competitive Analysis 🏹

Competitive analysis isn't just about identifying rivals; it's about learning from their successes and failures to create a product that stands out.

A comprehensive competitive analysis goes beyond simply comparing features. Here's a breakdown of key areas to examine:

• Value Propositions: 
  How do your competitors communicate their product's value to users? What are their key differentiators?
  

• Target Audience: 
  Who are your competitors targeting? Does their target audience overlap with yours? Identifying niche markets underserved by competitors can be a strategic advantage.
  

• User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX): 
  Analyze how competitors' products look and feel. Are their interfaces intuitive and visually appealing? Are there areas for improvement where your product can provide a more user-friendly experience?
  

• Marketing & Messaging: 
  Analyze your competitors' marketing strategies and messaging. How do they position their product? Identifying gaps in their messaging can help you tailor your own marketing to resonate more effectively with your target audience.
  

• Customer Reviews & Brand Reputation: 
  Read online reviews and analyze customer sentiment towards your competitors' products. What are users praising or criticizing? This can reveal areas where you can excel and provide a superior customer experience.

KANO Model Framework to Understand User Needs in Detail 👁️ 

The Kano Model is a powerful tool for understanding user needs and prioritizing features based on their impact on user satisfaction.

Here's a breakdown of the five key categories of user needs in the Kano Model, along with practical examples to illustrate each:

1. Basic Needs (Must-Haves) ⚠️

These are the fundamental features users expect from your product. Their absence leads to extreme dissatisfaction.

Example ✅:

In an e-commerce app, a basic need would be the ability to search for products by category or keyword. Without this functionality, users would be frustrated and unlikely to complete a purchase.

2. Performance Needs (The More, the Merrier) 🎁

These features directly correlate with user satisfaction. The better a feature performs, the happier users become.

Example ✅:

In a music streaming app, a performance need might be the speed and reliability of music playback. The faster songs load and the fewer buffering interruptions there are, the more satisfied users will be.

3. Excitement Needs (Delight Factors) 🥳

These features surprise and delight users, exceeding their expectations. They don't necessarily need them, but their presence significantly enhances the user experience.

Example ✅:

In a fitness tracker app, an exciting need might be personalized workout recommendations based on the user's activity data and goals. This unexpected feature could delight users and increase their engagement with the app.

4. Indifferent Needs (Meh) 🙄

These features have little to no impact on user satisfaction. Users might not even notice them.

Example ✅:

In a photo editing app, an indifferent need might be the ability to choose from a variety of border styles for images. While some users might enjoy this feature, it may not be essential for basic photo editing.

5. Reverse Needs (Pain Points) ↩️ 

These features actually frustrate users and hinder their experience. Ironically, their presence can decrease satisfaction.

Example ✅:

In a social media app, a reverse need might be a complex and time-consuming notification system. This could overwhelm users and make it difficult to stay up-to-date on relevant content.

Are you ready to use the KANO Model? Get started with your FREE template here!

That’s all for today !

Stay tuned for some freshly baked PM tips, strategies, insights, weekly Q/A digests, and more right into your inbox!🚀

Cya!
Aneesha ❤️ 

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Areesha Shaikh

• Aneesha S

• Twice the Impact PM