Overview
Dogfooding is a generative product research method where product teams use their own products as typical users would, to uncover difficulties, edge cases, and bugs firsthand.
Key Questions Answered
- Will the solution deliver on its value proposition?
- Is the solution functioning correctly?
- What represents the minimum viable feature set?
How It Works
Preparation: Establish an accessible note-taking system that won't disrupt your workflow.
Research: Use the product during regular work. Document observations when features work exceptionally well or disappoint. Capture insights, ideas, and moments when workflows break or external tools become necessary.
Analysis: Interpret findings as generative rather than evaluative research. Collect notes from multiple team members and organize via card sorting or similar UX methods.
Critical Limitations
The method carries significant blind spots. As the article notes, "Dogfooding only works when your team is as diverse as your customer base." Product creators possess intimate knowledge of design decisions, making it difficult to replicate a new user's perspective—particularly during onboarding. Teams often overlook edge cases affecting underrepresented users, including those with disabilities or from minority groups.
Primary Bias
Confirmation bias poses the greatest risk: creators may unconsciously avoid known problematic areas, leaving an artificially positive impression of product functionality.
Adapted from The Real Startup Book, edited by Tristan Kromer and published by Kromatic, under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.