Beyond Faster Horses: Uncovering Customer Needs at Scale

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In this episode of UX Leadership by Design, Mark Baldino talks with Mauricio Steffen, Senior Director of Product Management at Ericsson, about the crucial role customer research and empathy play in successful product management. Mauricio shares his unique career path, transitioning from corrections officer to frontline support, then into product management, highlighting how deep, empathetic listening skills have been essential across all roles. The conversation explores how to scale customer feedback processes, synthesize insights effectively, and navigate stakeholder management. Mark and Mauricio challenge the common misinterpretation of Henry Ford’s quote about customer research, emphasizing the importance of genuinely understanding underlying customer needs. Practical advice is offered for breaking through organizational blinders, advocating for meaningful change, and maintaining balance when strategic initiatives seem misaligned with immediate customer requests.

Key Takeaways

• Empathy and Active Listening: Genuine empathy and active listening are key skills that transcend industry and job function, essential for product management success.
• Scaling Customer Feedback: Utilize scalable methods like AI (LLMs) to analyze and summarize customer feedback at scale, uncovering patterns and root causes effectively.
• Root Cause Analysis: Go beyond surface-level customer requests by digging deeper to uncover true underlying problems and needs, rather than just stated wants.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage stakeholders early, make them feel heard, and clearly communicate decisions to achieve alignment and minimize resistance.
• Embracing Customer Feedback: Treat customer feedback as a valuable gift; show appreciation and continuously demonstrate that input shapes your product decisions.
• Admitting Mistakes: Develop the courage to pivot or stop projects when customer and market feedback indicates potential failure; maintaining an honest, reflective process is key to sustainable success.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Mauricio Steffen
• 02:09 Career Journey: From Corrections Officer to Product Management
• 06:57 The Role and Philosophy of Product Management
• 09:59 Influencing Stakeholders: Education, Listening, and Empathy
• 12:42 Scaling Customer Feedback and Leveraging AI
• 15:34 Why “Faster Horse” Is a Cop-Out: Understanding Customer Needs
• 22:49 Breaking Organizational Blinders with Customer Insights
• 26:07 The Challenge of Admitting Mistakes and Changing Course
• 29:37 Root Cause Analysis: From Wants to True Customer Needs
• 35:33 Empathy as the Key Skill for All Stakeholder Management

Resources & Links

• Connect with Mauricio Steffen on LinkedIn

• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Fuzzy Math - B2B & Enterprise UX Design Consultancy