Part 7 of 19 in Make Your Users Heroes: An Indian Founder’s Guide← Part 6Part 8 →
Here’s a blunt reality check: most Indian startups fail not because of a lack of innovation or funding but because they don’t guide their users effectively to their goals. It’s not glamorous, but hand-holding your users is as crucial as building your product. Your users aren’t arriving at your platform as blank slates; they come with baggage, expectations, and preconceived notions. If you don’t know where they are starting from, you’re designing for failure. Let’s explore how you can genuinely guide your users to their goals.
Understanding Where Users Are Coming From
Understanding your users’ background is not an option; it’s a necessity. Your users have a history, and ignoring it is like trying to teach calculus without understanding their grasp of basic arithmetic.
Identify Their Starting Point
- Skills: What is their current skill level related to your product?
- Fears: What are they afraid of? Losing money? Making mistakes?
- Devices: Are they using outdated technology or shared devices?
- Bandwidth: Do they have stable internet access?
- Language: What language are they comfortable with?
- Accountability: Who do they have to justify their actions to?
Consider the example of Groww, which understands that young, salaried Indians are intimidated by the stock market, short on time, and afraid of losing money. Their onboarding process reflects this understanding — minimal jargon, straightforward KYC, and a low-barrier first SIP.
Mapping Out Where Users Want to Go
You need to know where your users want to be. This isn’t about your vision; it’s about the result that they would proudly share with someone they respect.
Define Clear Goals
- What does success look like for them?
- What are the bragging rights they want to earn?
- How do they measure progress?
Zerodha captures this brilliantly. They know their users want to become competent traders, so they offer Varsity modules to educate without the pressure of account creation, followed by Kite and other advanced tools.
The Stepping Stones to Success
Forget the funnel and focus on three points: where they are, where they want to be, and the stepping stones in between. The journey must be broken into small, achievable steps that make the goal feel closer.
Provide Clear Actions
- One next action: Don’t overwhelm with options.
- Contextual examples: Show what success looks like in their context.
- Small tasks: Allow them to perform a smaller version of the actual task.
- Recovery paths: Offer solutions for when things go wrong.
- Tangible progress: Show progress that matters to them, not just to your metrics.
Take Khatabook, which initially lost users with a major UI overhaul. They learned that digital innovation for first-time users in Bharat is incremental. They kept core actions simple and relatable: money in, money out, and reminders.
Navigating the “Suck Zone”
The “suck zone” is where users are trying but not yet skilled. It’s the phase where most products die. Indian products often add extra hurdles like patchy networks and language barriers, which can exacerbate this challenge.
Support Through the Suck Zone
Holding a hand through the suck zone is not a tooltip. It’s a lifeline.
Ensuring users don’t quit in this phase requires:
- Patience and empathy: Understand their struggles and encourage them.
- Effective support: Treat support as a design feature, not a cost center.
- Feedback loops: Use customer feedback as a tool for product improvement.
Nithin Kamath of Zerodha exemplifies this by personally answering user queries, keeping him connected with user challenges.
Half a Skill Is Better Than None
Encourage users to master one small skill at a time. For a first-time mutual fund user, completing KYC without help is a skill. Starting a ₹100 SIP is a skill. Attempting to teach all three on day one leads to overwhelmed users who quit.
Incremental Skill Building
Focus on incremental growth:
- Teach one sub-skill until reliable.
- Introduce the next skill only after mastery of the first.
- Avoid the temptation to create super apps that overwhelm.
The result is confident users who stick around longer.
The Bottom Line
Guiding users to their goals isn’t about fancy features or complex dashboards. It’s about understanding their starting point, defining clear goals, and guiding them through the steps with empathy and support. This approach not only retains users but also turns them into advocates for your product.
FAQs
Why is understanding the user’s starting point crucial?
Without understanding where your users are starting from, you risk designing a product that doesn’t meet their needs or expectations.
How can I map out where users want to go?
Focus on what success looks like for them, not for you. Define goals that they can proudly share with someone they respect.
What is the “suck zone,” and why is it important?
The “suck zone” is the phase where users are trying but not yet skilled. Supporting users through this phase is crucial for retention.
How can I use feedback to improve my product?
Treat customer feedback as a tool for product improvement, not just a complaint to close. Engage with users to stay connected with their challenges.
At Malpani Ventures, we believe in guiding founders with actionable insights. If you’re looking for hands-on mentorship, reach out to us.