Customer feature requests: how to find the real need

Megan

Great news: customers are telling us exactly what to build! From our calls and your notes: treats in the box, choosing the delivery day, a pause button and an app that reorders when you scan the bag.

I say we put all four into the first version. Customers asked for them, so they'll pay for them.

You

That's a lot for a first version. But it does come straight from customers…

Alex Tutor

It does, and that's what makes it valuable. Just not as a to-do list. Each feature request is a clue that something in the customer's life isn't working. The request is their guess at a fix.

You

So we need to find out what's behind each one.

Alex Tutor

Yes. Treat the list as questions to ask, not tasks to do.

Alex Tutor

Question 1

Megan wants all four customer requests in the first version. What is the best next step?

Choose one answerBuild all four: customers asked for themBuild only the most frequently requested oneSend a survey asking customers to rank the four featuresGo back to the people who asked and find out what problem each request is meant to solve

Megan

But isn't it arrogant to ignore what customers literally ask for?

Alex Tutor

Nobody's ignoring them. They own the problem, we own the solution. Customers are experts in their own lives, not in designing products.

Last year the website team added a food comparison table because three customers asked for it. Almost nobody used it.

You

What did those customers actually want?

Alex Tutor

Someone finally asked. Their cats had kidney problems, and they wanted to know which food was safe. They needed a vet's recommendation, not a table. One question would have saved a month of work.

So write every request down, word for word. Just don't put it on the roadmap until you know what it's for.

Alex Tutor

Question 2

Writing a customer's feature request down in your interview notes is a mistake, because it tempts the team to build it.

TrueFalse

You

How do I find out what a request is for, without sounding like I'm rejecting it?

Alex Tutor

Be curious about it. Three questions do most of the work: “Why do you want that?”, “What would it let you do?” and “How do you manage without it now?”

That's digging: following a request, an opinion or a strong reaction down to the motive underneath. To check how much it matters: “If it came a month after launch, would that be a problem?”

You

Let me try it on Andrew's “I want to choose the delivery day”. I'll call him now.

Alex Tutor

Good. First, check you know what each question is for.

Alex Tutor

Question 3

Match each digging question to what it helps you find out.

Pick an answer for each row. Choosing an answer that is already used moves it to this row.

“Why do you want that?”
Choose an answer
“What would it let you do?”
Choose an answer
“How do you manage without it now?”
Choose an answer
“If it came a month after launch, would that be a problem?”
Choose an answer

You

I asked why the day matters. He works shifts at a hospital. Twice the courier came while he was on a night shift, and the parcel went back to the warehouse.

Alex Tutor

And how does he manage now?

You

He has everything delivered to a parcel locker near the hospital and picks it up after his shift. He says it works, except the lockers are often full.

Alex Tutor

So his real need isn't a calendar; it's getting food without being home. He already has a workaround that mostly works. Would picking a weekday even help someone on rotating shifts?

You

Probably not. Delivery to a parcel locker would, and it's much simpler to build.

Alex Tutor

Question 4

Which conclusions do Andrew's answers support? Select all that apply.

Choose all that applyHis underlying need is to receive food when he isn't at homeA delivery-day picker is the right feature for himHe already has a workaround that mostly worksDelivery to parcel lockers is worth checking as a simpler optionHe will definitely subscribe if CatChow adds locker delivery

You

Now the treats. This is from my very first call with Olivia, right after I described the subscription:

Olivia

Will there be treats in the box too? Whiskers adores them.

You

Megan's already pricing them.

Alex Tutor

Same approach. There could be many reasons behind it. Maybe she forgets to buy treats. Maybe she wants to try new ones without buying a whole pack. Maybe she was just being friendly.

You

And each reason means a different product.

Alex Tutor

Or no product at all. Write the questions you'd ask her. Keep them about her life, not our box.

Alex Tutor

Question 5Short answer · AI-checked task

Olivia asked: “Will there be treats in the box too?” Write 2–3 digging questions to find out what's behind this request.

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You

Something else in my notes. When I asked Hannah about deliveries, she said “Ugh, don't get me started on couriers!” I wrote “dislikes couriers” and moved on.

Alex Tutor

You walked past a signpost. Strong emotion, whether annoyance, embarrassment or excitement, marks the spot where something important happened. Stop and dig right there.

You

Isn't it more polite not to pry?

Alex Tutor

People usually want to tell that story. Just give them room: “That sounds frustrating. What happened?” Then be quiet and let her vent.

It works for excitement too: “You sound really keen on that. Why does it matter so much?”

Alex Tutor

Question 6

A customer sighs: “Honestly, reordering food is the worst part of my week.” What is the best response?

Choose one answer“Then you'll love our subscription!”“I see. Next question: how many cats do you have?”“The worst part? Sounds like there's a story. What happened last time?”“Would a reminder app make it better?”

You

Confession: in the Andrew call I slipped. He said “So it's like a food delivery app?” and I jumped in to explain how we're different. For two minutes.

Alex Tutor

What did he say after that?

You

“Sounds good.” And nothing else useful.

Alex Tutor

That's what pitching costs. The moment you sell, people stop talking about their problems and turn polite. And by correcting him, you lost something valuable: how he sees the idea.

Everyone slips. When you notice, stop and own it: “Sorry, I got carried away. You were telling me about the night shifts?” If he's curious about the product, promise to tell him at the end.

A simple check for any call: if you're talking more than they are, something's gone wrong.

Alex Tutor

Question 7Short answer · AI-checked task

Sofia realises she has been pitching for two minutes after Andrew asked “So it's like a food delivery app?” Write what she could say (1–2 sentences) to stop and bring the conversation back to his story.

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Megan

OK, I get it: don't build the list blindly. But I need something for Friday's planning meeting. What do I tell them?

Alex Tutor

What we know, what we're guessing and how we'll find out. You've dug into two of the four. Write it up for her.

You

The pause button and the scanning app still need digging, though.

Alex Tutor

Then say so. “We don't know yet, and here's how we'll find out” is a perfectly good answer at a planning meeting.

Alex Tutor

Question 8Case · AI-checked task

Write Megan a note for Friday's planning meeting about the four customer requests.

What Sofia knows about each request so far:

Treats in the box (Olivia, first call): no follow-up yet.
Choosing the delivery day (Andrew): works rotating shifts at a hospital; two parcels went back to the warehouse while he was on night shifts; now uses a parcel locker near work, which is often full.
A pause button (Hannah): “Every summer we take the cat to my mum's village for a month. Last year I had to phone the shop twice to cancel orders.”
An app that reorders when you scan the bag (Olivia, later call): mentioned right after telling how she forgot to buy food while her daughter was ill and paid double for express delivery.

Write 200–350 words for Megan: for each request, the likely underlying need (or “unknown”) and the evidence for it, a simpler solution or next step, and what, if anything, should go into the first version.

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You

So a feature request is the start of a conversation, not the end of one.

Alex Tutor

Exactly. Ask why, ask how they cope today, follow the emotion, and save your pitch for later. You're really building for the problem underneath.

Alex Tutor

That's module 2: compliments, fluff and feature requests. Next module: preparing for the questions you'd rather avoid, and for the ones that matter most.

Alex Tutor

That’s the lesson. You answered every task — nicely done.

Next lesson: Scary questions you avoid