If you want useful ideas from customers, don’t ask them for any -- directly, anyway. Resist questions like “How would you improve this product?” or “What features would you like to see added to it?” Instead, ask them about what they know best, which is whatever “job” they use the product to do.Listen closely, and they’ll pinpoint unmet needs, niches awaiting innovation.
What questions will get them talking? Try these:
What makes this job -- or parts of it -- challenging, inconvenient or frustrating? The response should point you toward pitfalls that you may be able to address by creating a product.
What makes this job time-consuming? What you really want to know is whether a product that speeds up the process would be successful.
What causes this job to go off track? There may be an opportunity to reduce any instability.
What aspects of this job are wasteful? If you can find a way to boost efficiency, your innovation could be a winner.