Users often seem to share what they think we want to hear during surveys and interviews.
I’m starting to think behavioral data might hold more truth than their words.
What research methods have provided you the most candid and valuable insights?
App store reviews from frustrated users give you the real story because they have nothing to lose.
I also track where people drop off in my funnels versus where they say they would quit. The actual exit points are usually different spots entirely.
Another method is checking what features people use after saying they want something else in surveys.
Watching what users actually do beats asking them every time.
I set up heat maps on landing pages and found people were clicking elements that weren’t even buttons. Survey responses said the page was “clear and easy to navigate” but the data showed total confusion.
Another thing that works - asking about past behavior instead of future intentions. “What made you download your last three apps?” gets better answers than “What would make you download this app?”
Session recordings are gold too. Seeing someone struggle with a signup flow for 2 minutes tells you more than any feedback form.
We track time spent on pages versus what users claim in surveys. Big difference there.
Support tickets tell you where things actually break down.
Cohort analysis beats everything else for honest feedback. Track what percentage of users actually stick around after 30 days versus what they tell you in exit surveys. The gap is huge. I also look at support tickets and app store reviews. People complain there when they’re frustrated, not when someone asks nicely in a survey. Another method that works is A/B testing small changes and measuring real behavior. Users say they want feature X, but when you test it, engagement drops. The numbers don’t lie.