Judy believes that the most important aspect of the customer insight work is developing empathy for your customers. You need to put yourself in their shoes – both literally and figuratively. Shop where they shop – observe their frustrations. Talk with them about their frustrations. Try to understand why they are frustrated and what trade-offs they are forced to make.

Summarize your observations using the voice of the customer: I wish I could (do, get, or have something), but I can’t because (something prevents me …what?), so instead I (do/use something else or do nothing and remain unsatisfied). Using this simple mantra helps us to get to the essence of the frustration or trade-offs our customers are facing.