User Interviews and Startup Insights

Emmett Scheer, CEO of Twitch, discusses his journey from early startups like Kiko Calendar and Justin.tv to the success of Twitch. He emphasizes the importance of user interviews in understanding market needs and making strategic decisions. The session includes an interactive exercise on identifying target users for a note-taking app and concludes with a Q&A session addressing common startup challenges.

What was the main issue with Emmett Scheer's first startup, Kiko Calendar?

• They didn't talk to users.

• They didn't have enough funding.

• They didn't know how to program.

• They sold it to Google.

What was the key difference in approach when pivoting from Justin.tv to Twitch?

• They focused on mobile technology.

• They started talking to users.

• They hired more developers.

• They reduced the number of features.

During the interactive exercise, which group did Emmett suggest might be the most important to talk to for a note-taking app?

• College students

• High school students

• College IT administrators

• Parents

Why is it important to avoid asking users directly about specific features?

• It can lead to biased feedback.

• Users prefer to talk about other things.

• Users might not understand the features.

• It takes too much time.

How did Emmett suggest validating a new feature idea before building it?

• Conducting a survey

• Building a full prototype

• Creating a browser extension

• Asking for user feedback

What was one of the main insights gained from talking to non-users of Twitch?

• They were concerned about video stability.

• They wanted more interactive features.

• They didn't have fast enough computers.

• They preferred using YouTube.

What was a major focus for Twitch based on user feedback?

• Reducing subscription costs

• Increasing social features

• Improving video stability

• Adding more games

What was a key takeaway from Emmett's experience with user interviews at Twitch?

• Avoid talking to competitors' users.

• Rely on data analytics only.

• Address the core problems users face.

• Focus on building many features.

What is a common mistake startups make when conducting user interviews?

• Asking about irrelevant features

• Not taking notes

• Showing users the product

• Talking to too many users

What was a significant challenge in getting feedback from international users?

• Time zone differences

• Language barriers

• Lack of internet access

• Different cultural preferences