The Voice of the Customer framework
After your interviews and research, you have a pile of quotes. Voice of the Customer is a simple way to turn that pile into decisions. It moves from what people said, to what they need, to what your project has to do about it.
Your “customer” is whoever you're building for. That could be a user, a client, a participant, or a member of your community.
1) Verbatim
What did they say?
Their exact words, not your summary.
2) Need
What do they need?
What this person is trying to get or do.
3) Requirement
What would meet their need?
What your project would need to include or do to meet the customer need.
Examples, one per track
| Row labels | Product / SaaSExample feedback | ServiceExample feedback | ProgramExample feedback |
|---|---|---|---|
| VerbatimWhat is the customer saying? | “I opened the app three times and still couldn't figure out how to add a bill.” | “Every time I book a cleaner it takes four texts to land on a time.” | “The workshop was great but I forgot most of it by the next week.” |
| NeedWhat does the customer need? | Help getting started without guessing. | A way to book without going back and forth. | A way to keep using what they learned after the session. |
| RequirementWhat is required to fulfill the customer need? | A short walkthrough the first time someone opens the app. | One place to see open times and pick one. | A short follow-up activity each week. |
These examples are made up, for illustration.
Build your chart
What your chart will look like
| Row labels | Feedback #1Source: | Feedback #2Source: | Feedback #3Source: |
|---|---|---|---|
| VerbatimWhat is the customer saying? | |||
| NeedWhat does the customer need? | |||
| RequirementWhat is required to fulfill the customer need? |
Start with the quotes you captured during your interviews and research. These are the exact words, sources, and notes you saved on the previous page. Each piece of feedback gets its own column in your chart.
Describe people by role, not by name.
Make the table, or use our template
Make a table in a Google Doc or Google Sheet with four rows, one column for each piece of feedback, and one extra column on the left for labels. Or make a copy of our template, which already has the rows set up. Start with five feedback columns. You can add more.
Label it
Name the three rows Verbatim, Need, and Requirement. Name each column Feedback #1, #2, and so on. Under each column label, write the source, like “Interview 2, parent” or “Facebook group post.”
Fill in the Verbatim row
Copy the exact words from your notes. If one person said two useful things, give each one its own column.
Fill in the Need row
For each quote, ask: what is this person trying to get or do? Write it from their side.
Fill in the Requirement row
Ask: what would my project need to include or do to meet that need? Keep it plain and short.
Tip
If every need you wrote matches your original idea exactly, go back to the verbatims. Did they say that, or did you?
Identify patterns and formulate your problem statement
Once your chart is filled in, look across it. What shows up again and again? That's your pattern, and it's what your problem statement is built from.
Identify your pattern
Here is a made-up example with five pieces of feedback. The colors show what a pattern looks like.
| Row labels | Feedback #1Source: Interview 1, parent | Feedback #2Source: Interview 2, participant | Feedback #3Source: Interview 3, community organizer | Feedback #4Source: Facebook group post, parent | Feedback #5Source: Interview 1, parent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VerbatimWhat is the customer saying? | Pattern A“The workshop was great but I forgot most of it by the next week.” | Pattern A“I took notes but never looked at them again.” | Lead“It's hard to find a time when everyone can come.” | Pattern A“My kid loved it, then we heard nothing until the next session.” | Pattern A“Honestly, I couldn't tell you what we covered in week two.” |
| NeedWhat does the customer need? | A way to keep using what they learned after the session. | Something to go back to after the session. | A schedule that fits around people's weeks. | A connection between sessions. | A way to remember what was covered. |
| RequirementWhat is required to fulfill the customer need? | A short follow-up activity each week. | A one-page recap to take home. | Two time options for each session. | A short follow-up activity each week. | A one-page recap to take home. |
This example is made up, for illustration.
Look for what repeats
Read across the Verbatim row and the Need row. Look for the same idea in different words. In the example, four columns are about forgetting or losing what happened in a session, so they share a color.
Count the people
Count different people or posts, not columns. Feedback #5 is the same parent as Feedback #1, so it counts once. The teal idea came from three different sources, so it's a pattern. Scheduling came up once, so it's a lead: something only one source mentioned. Don't act on it yet. Ask about it in your next conversation, and if it comes up again, it becomes a pattern.
Name your pattern
Give it a few words, in your people's language. “Forgets after the session” is clearer than “retention issues.”
Formulate your problem statement
Your strongest pattern gives you everything you need. Fill in three blanks from your chart.
1) Who
Who said it?
Name the people by role.
Example: workshop participants and their parents
2) What they need
What do they need a way to do?
Look at the Need row for your pattern. Finish the sentence “They need a way to...”
Example: keep using what they learn between sessions
3) Why
What did you hear?
Say it in plain words. You don't have to quote anyone.
Example: most of them forget it within a week
Now put the three blanks into one sentence. Use whichever format feels easier.
Format 1
[Who] needs a way to [what they need], because [what you heard].
Workshop participants and their parents need a way to keep using what they learn between sessions, because most of them forget it within a week.
Format 2
[Who] struggles to [do something] because [what gets in the way].
People who book home cleaners struggle to find a time that works because setting it up takes several rounds of texting.
These examples are made up, for illustration. Both formats work in your Innovation Plan.
Check it before you use it
- Does the “because” match what people actually told you?
- Is the who specific? Use a role and a situation, not “everyone.”
- Is it something people are trying to do, rather than something you want to build?
- Can you point to where each part came from in your chart?
If you can't say yes to all four, that's useful information, not a failure. Go back to your chart, or talk to two or three more people.
Where this goes in your Innovation Plan
This is the Understand box from your Innovation Plan. The colored boxes are what you built on this page.
Who is the key stakeholder and what is their problem?
Stakeholder:
The who from your problem statement.
Problem:
Your full problem statement, backed by your chart.
What solution does your initiative offer?
Solution Statement:
You'll draft this on the next page.
Values:
Not covered on this page.
What goal do you want to achieve? Who can help you along the way? How much time and money are needed to get this done?
Long Term Goal:
Short Term Goal:
Who will help:
Potential Roadblocks:
Budget:
What needs to get done or be created in order to achieve the solution goals?
Add tasks / deliverables
How will you gather and incorporate feedback? What key metrics will you measure to know you are achieving the goals?
Key Metrics:
Testing Plan:
Based on how things went, what are our next steps?