Tips to elicit great user feedback

The two most important skills for eliciting meaningful user feedback are:

1. Asking open-ended questions, and

2. Listening for emotion—not just words.

Avoid asking users directly if they like the product. That question invites surface-level answers. Instead, observe how they interact with the product, and draw conclusions from their behavior. Actions are far more revealing than opinions.

To gather actionable insights, start by observing what users do—and then work to understand why. Ask questions like:

“Can you show me how you typically do that?”

This kind of prompt invites them to walk you through their real workflow. Watch closely. How do they navigate? Where do they hesitate? What do they skip or work around?

As they walk through their steps, keep asking follow-ups—especially when something diverges from your expectations or design intent:

“Can you tell me why you did it that way?”

These moments are gold. They reveal gaps between your mental model and theirs, uncovering opportunities to improve usability or alignment.

But the real magic comes in how you listen.

Yes, pay attention to what they say—but more importantly, tune in to how they say it. Emotions are signals. Moments of confusion, delight, frustration, or enthusiasm often reveal the most valuable insights. When you notice a spike in emotion, pause and dig in:

“I noticed you paused there—what were you thinking in that moment?”

In summary:

If you want meaningful feedback, watch what people do, ask why they do it, and feel how they experience it.That combination will consistently lead you to deeper, more actionable insights.