#126 :: Uncovering what users value most

At our September meetup, two product managers will share how they leverage user research to uncover what users value most, how they decide what to focus on, and what processes help them achieve their goals.

Mikael Fløysand :: How to build a UX process to constantly create value for users

Appear.in is a Norwegian video meeting startup with more than 1 million monthly users worldwide. They are challenging existing video giants like Skype, Google Meet and Zoom, by focusing ruthlessly on user experience for the millennial generation.

In this talk, Product Manager Mikael Fløysand will share real-world examples from two years of turning Appear.in into a collaboration tool for business users. Mikael will tackle questions faced by every product team:

• Which users should you listen to?
• How should you choose which features to build?
• How do you validate something before you build it?
• How can you build a product process that constantly involves real customers?
• Why do you have to piss off some of your users to create value for others?
• Why should you focus on understanding customer problems instead of coming up with feature ideas?

Kea Zhang :: Impactful discovery: Get more out of what you’re already doing

Teston is a Norwegian startup building a new user research tool that makes user testing cheaper, easier and faster. Their vision is a world where all products and services are user-friendly and user-centred.

In this talk, Kea Zhang, Teston's Head of Product/UX, will talk about how they do user research and share examples of how her team makes the most of available resources (time, money, people) to gain valuable research insights. Her talk will cover everything from methods and process, to mindset and values, showing how they’ve made user research key to the way they work.

:: About Mikael ::

A designer turned Product Manager, Mikael Fløysand has been with appear.in since 2016. He studied Graphic Design at Westerdals School of Communication, worked at Neue Design Studio before spending two years at Netlife Research as a Digital Designer.

During his time at appear.in, he discovered the power of combining quantitative data (that tells you that there IS a problem) with qualitative data (that tells you WHAT the problem is) to make product decisions that creates value for the business as a whole.

:: About Kea ::
With a background is in UX, Human Computer Interaction and Psychology, Kea currently wears both product and UX hats at Teston. She has previous experience from working in digital agencies, startups, and the corporate world, in Oslo and London.

We'll be fielding audience questions via Sli.do, and look forward to a highly interactive session at MESH! Feel free to bring a friend.