Separate the user, the buyer and the funder
One service can have three different reasons to exist.
Draw the three roles
In a fictional employment-support service, the person receiving support, the employer paying for recruitment and the institution funding delivery can have different needs. Write a short description of each role. Do not assume a positive user interview confirms a purchasing budget or satisfies a funder’s reporting requirements.
Ask each role a different question
Ask users about a recent attempt to solve the problem and what made it difficult. Ask buyers how they approve spending and what alternatives they currently pay for. Ask funders about eligibility, reporting and the decisions they need evidence to support. Keep a record of the interview sample so ten conversations with one role are not presented as coverage of all three.
Look for conflicts early
A feature that helps a buyer screen applicants can create an extra burden for the person seeking support. Write down such tensions and test the service with the affected users. A mission statement does not resolve a design conflict. Make the trade-off visible to the team before it becomes a contractual commitment.
Choose one next experiment
Use the findings to define a limited pilot with a clear learning goal. Specify who participates, what is offered and what evidence would change the decision. Do not turn an expression of interest into a sale or a promised social outcome. The examples here are fictional and illustrate research practice.
References provide background. The working methods and fictional examples here are our editorial guidance, not an endorsement by the referenced organisations.
Put this into practice: open the worksheet →