Process
How to run a lead user study in five steps
A five-step outline of a lead user project, the method Eric von Hippel developed for finding people who face a market's future needs today. It is for product and innovation teams planning breakthrough research. Use it to plan the time each phase needs. Koji can run the screening, referral and first interview rounds as AI-moderated interviews.
Where this appears
What's in this process
- Set the scope: Agree on the problem area, the kind of result you want and how far ahead to look.
- Find the trends: Pick one or two trends that will change what people in the market need.
- Search for lead users: Screen many people, or ask each one who is further ahead and follow the chain.
- Interview lead users: Ask what they have tried and built. Treat their fixes as evidence, not answers.
- Build concepts together: Run a workshop with a few lead users from different fields to shape ideas.
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/lead-user-method-five-step-process"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/lead-user-method-five-step-process/lead-user-method-five-step-process.png" alt="Process showing five steps of a lead user study: set the scope, find the trends, search for lead users, interview them, and build concepts together." width="1200" height="739" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/lead-user-method-five-step-process">How to run a lead user study in five steps</a>, Koji</p>
