User Research Interviews – Robert Chokr on The Product Experience

Talking to users is easy. Talking to them in a way that gets you useful information is hard. Using that information in a way that helps align stakeholders and teams on the path to building great products? That’s the hardest of all. Lucky for us, our guest on the podcast this week is Robert Chokr, Lead Product Manager at Careem, who has some great advice on the topic.

In this episode, sponsored by Amplitude, listen to learn about:

• User Research
• Handling bias
• Dealing with HiPPOs

Quote of the Episode

[US] Navy SEAL teams have a saying [for] whenever you start acquiring a new skill, like interviewing customers for example, they say “Embrace the suck.” You will suck at interviewing customers in the beginning if you’re not used to it, but embracing that suck, as the SEALs say, [means that] after the first 5 to 10 times you’re going to fly with it. It’s going to become second nature.

Related Links

• Follow Robert on Twitter and LinkedIn
• Careem
• Miro
• ‘How to tap Into the Collective Wisdom of a Team’ article by Robert

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Our Hosts

The Product Experience is hosted by Lily Smith and Randy Silver.

Lily enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She’s currently Head of Innovation at Go Compare and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She’s worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol (which now has 800+ members!) and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath.

Randy is a product consultant and coach who has been working as an interactive producer and product manager across the US and UK for nearly 20 years. A recovering music journalist and editor, he launched Amazon’s music stores in the US and UK, and has worked across sectors including museums and arts groups, online education, media and entertainment, retail and financial services. He’s held Head of Product roles at HSBC and Sainsbury’s, where he also directed their 100+-person product community. Randy’s book, What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager’s Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19 is out now, with all profits going to COVID-19 relief efforts.