The Mom's Test teaches us a powerful lesson: Sometimes the simplest questions yield the best insights.
Mom's Test, a book by Rob Fitzpatrick, offers a pragmatic approach to user interviews: asking questions that uncover genuine customer needs by avoiding biased, hypothetical responses.
The Challenge: At my previous stint in a Neobank, users needed to load ₹5,000 before ordering their card. When we launched, only 30% of users ordered the card within 5 days of onboarding - a clear signal something wasn't working.
Instead of creating an elaborate questionnaire, we applied the Mom's Test principle and asked just ONE question:
"Why did you not order the card?"
Speaking with 20 users revealed three crucial insights:
- Users couldn't figure out how to order the card
- They mistook the ₹5,000 minimum balance as a fee/AMC
- The value proposition wasn't clear enough
Actions taken:
- Build a simplified card ordering journey on the home screen with clear ₹5,000 minimum balance messaging
- Highlighted key benefits (free lounge access, zero forex markup)
- Added social proof showing the number of cards ordered in the last 7 days
The Result? 🚀 After 2 months of development and deployment, our Day 5 card ordering rate doubled.
Key Learning: The Mom's Test taught me that asking "Why didn't you do X?" reveals actual barriers users faced. The conversation was focused on their experiences and specific problems. This led us to actionable insights we could immediately solve.
I would love to hear your Mom’s test stories in product development!
#ProductDevelopment #UserResearch #ProductManagement #CustomerInsights #MomsTest