tab #7: 5 user interview questions I never skip
Marketers love saying “talk to your users.” But what you ask, and what you listen for, makes all the difference.
At Flixier, user interviews have helped us shape our roadmap, sharpen our messaging, and stop "assuming".
Here are 5 questions I ask in every call and how we’ve turned the answers into strategy.
1. “Walk me through your video editing workflow.”
Why it matters: This helps you understand where your product fits in the real world, not in a slide deck, but in someone’s actual creative process.
What we learned: This question revealed how users are navigating Flixier alongside tools like Canva, Opus, and Riverside. It helped us see the pain of multi-tab workflows and made it clear that part of our job is helping users stick to Flixier by surfacing features they don’t know we have yet.
How we used it: These insights shaped our roadmap and messaging. We prioritized features that reduce tool-switching and position Flixier as a real time-saver tool with a focus on "one-tab workflow".
Follow-up: What other tools do you usually open while you’re working on a video?
2. “What do you use Flixier for that you couldn’t do easily before?”
Why it matters: This question surfaces real value, not just what your product does, but what it enables. It shows you what users can now accomplish that felt out of reach before.
What we learned: One user went from outsourcing edits to handling everything in-house. Another built a student-run news broadcast from scratch. A third produces 10 or more multilingual clips per day without pro editors. These are signs that Flixier is helping people move faster, rely less on outside help, and take ownership of content creation.
How we used it: We stopped talking about Flixier as just “fast” or “AI-powered” and started framing it as a tool that helps people show up more often, ship consistently, and feel capable doing it.
Follow-up: What changed after you started using it?
3. “Is there any part of Flixier that feels clunky or slow?”
Why it matters: This question doesn’t just uncover blockers. It reveals the gap between what users expect and what your product actually delivers, and those gaps are often where churn starts.
What we learned: Users brought up everything from storage management and timeline navigation to inserting a new clip at the beginning and pushing everything else forward on the timeline. Some requested preset filters. Others just wanted a smoother way to cut long footage without feeling overwhelmed.
How we used it: This feedback shaped our roadmap and reframed our onboarding. Some features weren’t missing, they were just hard to find. That led to better tooltips, walkthroughs, and simpler product language.
Follow-up: If you could wave a magic wand and add any feature to Flixier, even if it sounds crazy, what would it be?
4. “If we disappeared tomorrow, what would you miss most?”
Why it matters: This question forces prioritization. It tells you what users really rely on, not what sounds nice in marketing, but what they’d feel the absence of.
What we learned: Users mentioned things like not needing to install anything, the speed of exports, and how easy it was to just get in and make something. For some, it was how Flixier fit into their team’s workflow without training. For others, it was the fact that it worked on a school Chromebook.
How we used it: This kind of feedback helped us identify and double down on our core differentiators: speed, browser access, and ease of use for non-technical teams. It also reminded us what not to complicate in future updates.
Follow-up: Why do you think that’s the thing that stood out?
5. “How would you describe Flixier to a friend?”
Why it matters: This is your real-world elevator pitch. It shows you how users actually talk about your product, in their words, not yours.
What we learned: We heard phrases like “a simpler Premiere,” “easier than iMovie but more flexible,” and “video editing without the learning curve.” It wasn’t about AI or power features. It was about getting things done without friction.
How we used it: These phrases ended up in homepage copy, onboarding emails, and paid ads. If your messaging doesn’t echo what your users are already saying, it won’t land.
Follow-up: What would you say if that friend was already using another editor?
Final thought: User interviews aren’t about validation. They’re about direction.
They tell you what’s unclear in your product. What’s missing in your messaging. What’s slowing people down.
But only if you’re willing to ask the right questions, and actually change something when you hear the answer.
What matters isn’t what people say. It’s what you do with it.
This post is part of a new weekly series I’m writing as a first-time VP of Marketing, called 50 Tabs of Marketing. It’s a running log of early-stage lessons... messy, honest, and hopefully useful.
Thanks for reading. Give me a thumbs up if you like it. Tab #8 next Monday.