Product creation. The customer vs the hippo

This HIPPO’s view isn’t always right. And if the HIPPO takes control, products and marketing strategies could become disconnected from the needs and wants of your customers. This will ultimately hinder your success.

So how can you prevent the HIPPO from having too much influence on user research and product creation? 

By regularly conducting user research and gathering feedback from your customers, you’ll gain valuable insights on pain points, preferences, behaviours and more. This information can then be used to:

• Shape your product development and marketing efforts

• Align with the needs and wants of our target audience

But simply gathering this information isn't enough. It's crucial that you also try to actively prioritise your customer's voice by incorporating it into your decision-making process. One way to do this is regularly sharing customer and participant feedback with your teams.

To help you, below are 5 tips for controlling the impact of the HIPPO in user research and product creation:

1. Be in-the-know: Regularly conduct user research and gather feedback from your customers through customer panels, surveys, user interviews, field studies, focus groups and other means 

2. Share feedback: Share your research feedback with your relevant teams and incorporate it into product development meetings and marketing strategy discussions

3. Openness: Encourage open and honest communication within your team. Make sure everyone's opinions and concerns are heard and considered

4. Be customer focussed: Foster a culture of customer-centricity. Ensure the needs and wants of your customers are prioritised in all decision-making processes

5. Analyse and evaluate: Use data and analytics to back up your customer's voice and to improve the decision-making process

By following these tips and prioritising your customer's voice, we’re confident you’ll be able to control the impact of the HIPPO.

Doing so will ensure your products, services and marketing efforts are aligned with the needs and wants of your target audience. This will lead to more successful products, stronger customer relationships, and ultimately, greater business success.

Working with Codehouse

At Codehouse, we perform user research for our customers to help validate ideas both in the early design phases as well as for those products and services already in the users’ hands.

You should book a slot for a 15 minute, complimentary, consultancy session with our Head of Product Strategy. He will give you advice and guidance on how you can get to really know your customers and exceed their expectations.