[Griffinsauce]

> This always takes me to USE YOUR PRODUCT. If you don't use your product, you'll never know if it is good.

This is a bit absolutist. Sure, use your product when it makes sense like in your case but many people here build things for user groups they don't belong to (constantly).

Besides: are you hitting all the same use cases your users are and at the same rate?

This advice always sounds nice but it's impossible to apply for lots of people. More generically applicable advice is that you should be acutely aware of your users real(!) experiences. This can be by using the product or by making sure the team sees and hears raw user feedback. Preferably combined with data that helps prioritize.

There's nothing like hearing the frustration in someone's voice when they are trying to accomplish something and _your product_ is holding them back. (well, except for experiencing it yourself and then we've circled back ;) )

[cco]

> This is a bit absolutist.

Granted.

> many people here build things for user groups they don't belong to (constantly).

A root of the problem. If you have no appreciation or desire to solve a problem well, you won't. There are very few pieces of software written for users that you can't figure out a way to use. If you can't use it, observe users, if you can't observe, ask users, if you can't ask, instrument their use. To your absolutist point, yes, it is not strictly an absolute, it is an encouragement to push as far along the empathy spectrum as you can.