How to Pinpoint Target Users Throughout a Product’s Lifecycle

On March 27, at the invitation of China Telecom Research Institute, senior researcher Shen Caiyue from JDC User Research Center delivered a talk at Shanghai Telecom Research Institute on “User Research in the Product Lifecycle.” Although the audiences came from different fields, they showed strong interest in JD’s research methods and processes, and the session introduced JDC’s investment and experience in user research across the e‑commerce product lifecycle.

The audience’s main question was how to help product teams locate the target user group. The answer involves two aspects: objective data and user research.

Using backend data is the quickest way to identify target users. Behavioral data reflects the current user base and their characteristics. Common metrics include:

UV, PV, click‑UV, click‑PV to gauge user scale.

Age, gender, membership level, and geographic distribution for a basic user profile.

Page click distribution to see which product areas attract users and whether they match the original design focus.

Session duration and repeat visits to assess user stickiness and new vs. returning users.

Recent browsing frequency, spending amount, and purchase time to evaluate economic value.

Traffic source to understand acquisition channels.

Deep interviews and questionnaires further refine the audience and uncover market opportunities. Typical questionnaire items cover:

Where users are located (region, preferred websites) and what content interests them, informing future traffic sources and marketing.

Competitor usage and satisfaction to pinpoint market opportunities.

Demographic attributes (gender, age) and consumption value (amount, frequency) to define core user segments.

Target user market share to estimate potential scale.

By comparing motivations, behaviors, focus points, characteristics, and distribution of different user types, teams can identify differences and tailor product planning accordingly.

During the session, participants practiced deep‑interview simulations in groups of two to three, which generated great enthusiasm.

Afterward, many attendees said they would apply a formal user‑research process to their own products instead of relying on intuition.