As product teams strive to create exceptional user experiences, they often overlook the importance of frugal feedback strategies. The assumption is that meaningful user research requires lengthy interviews, Zoom calls, and endless note-taking. But what if you could gather hyper-focused feedback in a fraction of the time? I've conducted hundreds of live user research conversations in early-stage startups to inform product decisions, and my thinking has evolved on the role of synchronous time. While real-time convos have their place, I've found that async tools like Loom often uncover sharper insights—faster—when used intentionally.
Let's break down the ROI of shifting to async. Imagine you want to interview 5 people for 30 minutes each, which translates to 150 minutes of calls—but because two people are on the call (you and the participant), you're really spending 300 minutes of combined time. Now, let's say you record a 3-minute Loom with a few focused questions, send it to those same 5 people, and they each take 5 minutes to write their feedback. That's 8 minutes per person and just 5 minutes once for you. 45 total minutes versus 300. That's an order-of-magnitude reduction in time to get hyper-focused feedback.
Just record a quick Loom, pair it with 1-3 specific questions designed to mitigate key risks, and send it to the right people. This async approach gathers real feedback throughout the entire product lifecycle (problem validation, solution exploration, or post-launch feedback) without wasting your users' time or yours. Quick example: Imagine your team is torn between an opinionated implementation of a feature vs. a flexible/customizable one. If you walk through both in a quick Loom and ask five target users which they prefer and why, you'll get a solid read on your overall user base's mental model. No need for endless scheduling or drawn-out Zoom calls—just actionable feedback in minutes.
As an added benefit: this approach also allows you to go back to users for more frequent feedback because you're asking for less of their time with each interaction. Note that if you haven’t yet established rapport with the users you’re sending the Looms to, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself at the start in a friendly, personal way. Plus, always make sure to express genuine appreciation and gratitude in the video—it goes a long way in building a connection and getting thoughtful responses.
Now, don’t get me wrong—there’s still a place for synchronous research, especially in early discovery calls when it’s unclear exactly which problem or solution to focus on. Those calls are critical for diving deeper. But once you have a clear hypothesis and need targeted feedback, async tools can drastically reduce the time burden while keeping the signal strong. Whether it’s problem validation, solution validation, or post-launch feedback, async research tools can get you actionable insights at every stage for a fraction of the time investment.
By adopting frugal user feedback strategies like these, you'll be well on your way to creating exceptional app user experiences that drive real results. So, what are you waiting for? Start gathering actionable feedback today and revolutionize your approach to app user experience!