In a perfect UX world, we would always be able to directly observe and interact with the people who use our products. Unfortunately, this is not always possible depending on external constraints like lack of access or time, forcing you to get creative. Here are a few methods that I have used to collect qualitative information on users.

App store reviews

Looking at reviews will show you the good, bad and ugly of what people think about your app. People will let you know the features they really like or don’t like, which can be really helpful when narrowing down features to focus on. Also, don’t limit yourself to only your own app’s reviews, looking at competitor’s reviews can help you see the areas to set your product apart!

One downside is that you’re only seeing input from the people that are most likely passionate power users. So it can be hard to get a sense if themes carry to all users.

YouTube

Recently, I had to work on an app for business jet pilots. Not being a pilot, I wanted to get the experience of shadowing one on the job. They probably weren’t going to let me on the private jet for that…so I went to YouTube instead!

Looking at training, process and even vlog videos really helped me better understand their perspective and the data that I was going to be working with.

Hashtags (Instagram/Twitter)

Lucky for us, almost every type of person on the planet has a social media account. Searching through hashtags or terms relevant to your product can be a treasure trove of good information. Doing this has helped me understand users more intimately and also figure out how to improve the experience of sharing from product to social media.

Subreddits

In my personal experience, you’re either into Reddit or you’re not. If you’re not, don’t let that scare you! It’s just a forum. It’s a great place to see a wide range of people discussing a wide range of topics. People ask questions, help others or recommend new things. It can give a lot of insight into the conversations people are having about products and services.

If you want to find something specific, I recommend Googling the topic + reddit instead of using Reddit’s site search. Ex. “budget planning app reddit”

(Bonus tip, you can post surveys in r/samplesize if you’re in need of respondents!)

Forums

Also don’t discount other forums outside the Redditsphere. They can be valuable too as many people have set up their own sites to discuss specific topics and products.

Feel free to tweet me any unconventional methods you have used!