Founder: Ask Users What They Would 'Offload'
Serval CEO Jake Stauch recommends a different approach to user research for discovering true needs. Instead of asking about pain points, he suggests asking potential users, "What would you offload to someone new working next to you?" to identify tasks they are willing to fully delegate and automate.
- The "offload" method has its roots in the psychological concept of "cognitive offloading," which is the use of external aids to reduce mental effort. This can range from simple actions like writing a to-do list to using complex software to handle a task. The core idea is that our brains are naturally inclined to conserve energy, so we are often willing to delegate tasks to reduce our cognitive load. - Jake Stauch's background prior to Serval was in cognitive neuroscience as a researcher at Duke University and as the founder of NeuroPlus, a company that created brain-controlled video games to help improve attention and self-control. This foundation in understanding cognitive processes likely influenced his approach to user research, focusing on the mental effort involved in tasks. - The "offload" question is a form of generative research, which aims to identify new opportunities and unmet needs before a solution is designed. It differs from evaluative research, which tests an existing product, by focusing on the user's workflow and what parts of it they would willingly give up. - This user research method is particularly well-suited for identifying opportunities for automation and AI-powered features. By asking what users would "offload," a product team can get direct insight into the tasks that are perceived as tedious, repetitive, or requiring too much mental energy, all of which are prime candidates for technological solutions. - The core of Serval's product is an AI-native IT service management (ITSM) platform that automates workflows in areas like IT, HR, finance, and legal. This directly reflects the "offload" principle by taking on tasks that IT professionals would otherwise have to handle manually. - In practice, the insights from the "offload" question can be used to build a product roadmap that prioritizes features that save users the most cognitive effort. For example, at Serval, this likely translated into developing AI agents that can handle common help desk requests and automate routine processes, as these are tasks IT teams would readily delegate. - While traditional user research often focuses on "pain points," the "offload" approach can reveal a different class of user needs. A pain point might be a frustration with a current tool, whereas a task to be offloaded is a part of a workflow a user would rather not do at all, even if the current method isn't particularly painful. - A potential challenge of relying solely on the "offload" method is that users may not always be able to articulate what's possible to automate. They might be so accustomed to a particular workflow that they don't even consider the possibility of offloading parts of it. Therefore, this method is most effective when combined with observational research and a deep understanding of the user's domain.
