Most user conversations are wasted

Founders spend a lot of time talking to potential users. Most of those conversations are friendlier than they are useful.

Not because the people are dishonest. Because of how the conversation is structured. You pitch the idea, they react politely, you walk away with a vague sense of confirmation. The conversation felt productive. You learned almost nothing.

Good user conversations are different. They’re less about your product. They’re more about the user’s actual life. They produce concrete details, not opinions. And they leave you with new understanding rather than reassurance.

This topic is about how to run them on purpose.

Why pitching breaks the conversation

The most common mistake is leading with the idea.

When you describe your product first, you f...

How to have conversations that actually teach you something