[mmargolis]

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on my article. I love the feedback and discussion!

It’s true that for many products, some feedback from random people on the bus or street can be better than no feedback. However, user studies accelerate the learning cycle for startups. As I’ve seen over and over with many startups, companies can more quickly learn much more by talking to the right people rather than just button-holing 50 random strangers. And when building products to solve problems for specific users (such as sys admins, bicyclists, travelers, kids, English-language learners, people with email overload, etc.), it seems a little risky not to talk to those users.