Why talk before you build
It is easy to spend weeks on a guide, a video series or a course based on an idea that feels obvious to you. A short conversation with a few people who resemble your intended audience can show whether the idea matches something they actually struggle with. It can also reveal that the real problem is somewhat different from the one you imagined, which is much cheaper to discover before you begin than after you have published.
These conversations, sometimes called audience interviews, are not formal research. They are small, friendly and focused. Three to five of them often show recurring themes, though what you hear will vary and is no guarantee of how your finished work will perform.
Find the right people
Look for people who plausibly face the problem you want to help with. That might be a colleague, a friend of a friend, a member of a community you belong to, or a reader who has written to you. Avoid relying only on people who already like you; they tend to be encouraging and may not represent newcomers. If you can, speak to a mix of beginners and more experienced people.
Ask politely and make it easy to say no. Explain in a sentence what you are doing, how long it will take (fifteen to twenty minutes is usually plenty), and that you are not selling anything. Respect refusals without pressure.
Ask about their experience, not your idea
The biggest mistake is pitching. If you describe your idea and ask “Would you use this?”, most people will answer politely and favorably, because they are being kind. Their prediction of their own future behavior is also unreliable. Questions about what actually happened are more trustworthy.
Better prompts are about the recent past:
- “Tell me about the last time you tried to learn or do this. What happened?”
- “What did you do first? Where did you look for help?”
- “What was the most frustrating or confusing part?”
- “What did you end up doing, and how did it go?”
- “Is there anything you wish had been explained differently?”
These invite stories, and stories carry details you would not think to ask for: the words people use, the tools they tried, the moment they gave up. Follow with simple probes such as “Can you say more about that?” or “What happened next?”
Avoid leading and hypothetical questions
A question like “Don’t you think beginners need simpler guides?” supplies the answer. Neutral alternatives are “How would you describe the guides you have used?” or “What, if anything, was missing?” Likewise, hypotheticals (“Would you pay for this?” “Would you watch a weekly video?”) tend to produce optimistic answers. If you want to learn about priorities, ask what the person currently does about the problem and what it costs them in time or effort.
Listen more than you talk
A useful rule of thumb is that the other person should be speaking most of the time. Let silences sit for a few seconds; people often add the interesting part after a pause. Resist the urge to defend your idea or correct a misunderstanding. If someone misreads what you are trying to do, that is data about how your idea could be misunderstood by others.
Handling privacy and consent
Tell people what you plan to do with what they say. If you want to take notes, say so. If you want to record the conversation, ask first and accept a no. Keep notes free of names where possible, and do not share what someone said with identifying details unless they have agreed. Mention that they can skip any question. These steps show respect, and they also make people more candid.
The same care applies if you later wish to feature someone or quote them publicly: ask for clear consent to feature them, and offer a chance to review.
Take notes that you can use
Right after each conversation, write a few lines while memory is fresh:
- the situation the person described
- the problem or frustration, in their words
- what they tried, and what they decided
- anything that surprised you
Avoid writing your interpretation as though it were their statement. Keep direct quotes marked as quotes, and your own guesses marked as guesses.
After several conversations, read the notes together. Look for details mentioned by more than one person, and equally for disagreements. A theme that appears in every conversation is worth taking seriously. Something that appeared once is a lead, not a finding.
Turning conversations into decisions
Ask what the conversations changed. You might discover that the problem is real but the format you imagined is wrong, or that people already have enough introductory material and need something for the next step. You might find that the audience uses different vocabulary from yours. Whatever you learn, adjust your plan, perhaps updating your creative brief with a sentence about who the work is for and what they are trying to do.
Then keep the project modest at first. Publish a small version, see how people respond, and continue talking to a few readers as you go. The conversations are not a hurdle to clear once, but a habit that keeps the work connected to real needs.
Realistic expectations
A handful of conversations cannot predict success. People you speak to may not represent everyone, and their answers will be shaped by their mood and how well you asked. What the process does offer is a check on your assumptions, a better vocabulary and a clearer picture of the problem. For a modest investment of an hour or two, that is often worth having.