Product Management User Research and Discovery 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a 'usability test'?
- To observe users attempting to complete tasks with a product to identify usability issues (Correct answer)
- To test server performance under load
- To compare two product versions with A/B testing
- To evaluate whether a feature meets business requirements
Correct answer: To observe users attempting to complete tasks with a product to identify usability issues
Usability testing reveals where real users struggle with a product's interface or flow, providing actionable insight to improve ease of use.
Question 2: What is an 'assumption map' used for in product discovery?
- To surface and prioritize the riskiest assumptions underlying a product hypothesis before testing them (Correct answer)
- To document technical architecture assumptions
- To map user personas to features
- To plan sprint assumptions for velocity estimation
Correct answer: To surface and prioritize the riskiest assumptions underlying a product hypothesis before testing them
An assumption map identifies what the team believes is true about the user, the problem, and the solution, then ranks assumptions by risk and unknownness to prioritize experiments.
Question 3: What is a 'prototype' in product discovery?
- A low- or high-fidelity simulation of a product used to test concepts before full development (Correct answer)
- A beta version released to all users
- A complete product with all features enabled
- A written specification document
Correct answer: A low- or high-fidelity simulation of a product used to test concepts before full development
Prototypes range from paper sketches to clickable mockups and let teams test ideas, gather user feedback, and validate assumptions cheaply before investing in full development.
Question 4: What does 'empathy mapping' help product managers do?
- Visualize what a user says, thinks, feels, and does to build deeper understanding of their experience (Correct answer)
- Map user journeys through a product interface
- Plot feature value against development effort
- Align team members' work styles
Correct answer: Visualize what a user says, thinks, feels, and does to build deeper understanding of their experience
An empathy map synthesizes user research into four quadrants — says, thinks, does, feels — to help teams develop genuine empathy for the user they are designing for.
Question 5: What is a 'customer journey map'?
- A visualization of all steps and touchpoints a customer experiences with a product or service over time (Correct answer)
- A map of customer locations by geography
- A flowchart of internal development processes
- A timeline of marketing campaigns
Correct answer: A visualization of all steps and touchpoints a customer experiences with a product or service over time
A customer journey map charts the end-to-end experience a customer has — from awareness through purchase and beyond — highlighting pain points and opportunities at each stage.
Question 6: What is the difference between 'generative' and 'evaluative' user research?
- Generative discovers new problems and ideas; evaluative tests existing solutions (Correct answer)
- Generative uses surveys; evaluative uses interviews
- Generative is quantitative; evaluative is qualitative
- They are the same type of research
Correct answer: Generative discovers new problems and ideas; evaluative tests existing solutions
Generative research explores user needs and generates new insights, while evaluative research tests whether a specific solution or design works as intended.
Product Management User Research and Discovery 2
What is the purpose of a 'usability test'?