Market research survey for people who live with the problem

Updated 2026-10-30

A product idea can feel obvious to you and strange to everyone else. Asking friends gives kind answers that tell you nothing. I would rather send a short survey to people who live with the problem, and read their words.

How it works

  1. People say which group they belong to and how often they meet the problem.
  2. They describe what they use now and what frustrates them.
  3. They rate how big the problem is and what would make them switch.
  4. They say if they would try your idea, and whether they will talk to you.

What a respondent's AI would ask

"Which of these describes you?" Then "How often do you run into this problem?" Then "What is the most frustrating part?" It lists all the answers and sends only after a yes. Read about agent-fillable forms.

Good to know

Describe the problem in neutral words in the form description, not your solution. Read the open answers before the scores. A handful of repeated complaints tells you more than an average. Keep the survey short, or people stop halfway.

Find more in forms for agencies and forms for SaaS teams. A website feedback form learns from visitors you already have. A case study form learns from customers who are happy.

Questions

How many people should answer?

Enough to see the same complaint repeat. Read the answers as they arrive. When new rows only repeat old points, you have the pattern. A small sample is a hint, not proof.

Can I stop after a set number of answers?

Yes. Set max_responses to your target and the form stops taking answers at that number. You can also set close_at to end on a date.

How do I follow up with people who said yes to a call?

Filter the CSV for the follow-up tick, then use the email column to offer a time yourself. The form sends no emails to respondents.

Try the form

Live demo ยท nothing is saved

Help us shape something new

Tell us how you deal with this today. There are no right answers, and honest ones help most.

Which describes you? (required)
How often do you deal with this problem? (required)
What do you use today?
How big a problem is it for you?

1 is minor, 5 is a serious problem.

Have you looked for something better?
What would make you switch?
If we built this, would you try it?
I am open to a short follow-up call
Use this templateAll templates

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text
Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Help us shape something new",
  "description": "Tell us how you deal with this today. There are no right answers, and honest ones help most.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "respondent_group",
      "label": "Which describes you?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "An individual user",
        "A small business owner",
        "A manager in a larger company",
        "A student",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problem_frequency",
      "label": "How often do you deal with this problem?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Daily",
        "Weekly",
        "Monthly",
        "Rarely",
        "Never"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "current_solution",
      "label": "What do you use today?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Spreadsheets",
        "A paid tool",
        "A free tool",
        "Pen and paper",
        "I ask someone else",
        "Nothing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "main_tool_name",
      "label": "Name the tool you use most",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "biggest_frustration",
      "label": "What is the most frustrating part?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 2000
    },
    {
      "id": "problem_size",
      "label": "How big a problem is it for you?",
      "type": "rating",
      "help": "1 is minor, 5 is a serious problem.",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "looked_for_alternatives",
      "label": "Have you looked for something better?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes, and I found something",
        "Yes, but found nothing",
        "No, not yet"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "switch_triggers",
      "label": "What would make you switch?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Lower cost",
        "Saves time",
        "Easier to use",
        "Better support",
        "Works with my other tools",
        "A friend's recommendation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "would_try",
      "label": "If we built this, would you try it?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes, definitely",
        "Maybe",
        "Probably not",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open_to_call",
      "label": "I am open to a short follow-up call",
      "type": "checkbox"
    },
    {
      "id": "call_email",
      "label": "Email, if you ticked the box above",
      "type": "email"
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash
curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Help us shape something new","description":"Tell us how you deal with this today. There are no right answers, and honest ones help most.","fields":[{"id":"respondent_group","label":"Which describes you?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["An individual user","A small business owner","A manager in a larger company","A student","Something else"]},{"id":"problem_frequency","label":"How often do you deal with this problem?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Daily","Weekly","Monthly","Rarely","Never"]},{"id":"current_solution","label":"What do you use today?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Spreadsheets","A paid tool","A free tool","Pen and paper","I ask someone else","Nothing"]},{"id":"main_tool_name","label":"Name the tool you use most","type":"short_text","max_length":150},{"id":"biggest_frustration","label":"What is the most frustrating part?","type":"long_text","required":true,"max_length":2000},{"id":"problem_size","label":"How big a problem is it for you?","type":"rating","help":"1 is minor, 5 is a serious problem.","min":1,"max":5},{"id":"looked_for_alternatives","label":"Have you looked for something better?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes, and I found something","Yes, but found nothing","No, not yet"]},{"id":"switch_triggers","label":"What would make you switch?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Lower cost","Saves time","Easier to use","Better support","Works with my other tools","A friend'\''s recommendation"]},{"id":"would_try","label":"If we built this, would you try it?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes, definitely","Maybe","Probably not","No"]},{"id":"open_to_call","label":"I am open to a short follow-up call","type":"checkbox"},{"id":"call_email","label":"Email, if you ticked the box above","type":"email"}]}'

JSON definition

json
{
  "title": "Help us shape something new",
  "description": "Tell us how you deal with this today. There are no right answers, and honest ones help most.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "respondent_group",
      "label": "Which describes you?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "An individual user",
        "A small business owner",
        "A manager in a larger company",
        "A student",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problem_frequency",
      "label": "How often do you deal with this problem?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Daily",
        "Weekly",
        "Monthly",
        "Rarely",
        "Never"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "current_solution",
      "label": "What do you use today?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Spreadsheets",
        "A paid tool",
        "A free tool",
        "Pen and paper",
        "I ask someone else",
        "Nothing"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "main_tool_name",
      "label": "Name the tool you use most",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "biggest_frustration",
      "label": "What is the most frustrating part?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 2000
    },
    {
      "id": "problem_size",
      "label": "How big a problem is it for you?",
      "type": "rating",
      "help": "1 is minor, 5 is a serious problem.",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "looked_for_alternatives",
      "label": "Have you looked for something better?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes, and I found something",
        "Yes, but found nothing",
        "No, not yet"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "switch_triggers",
      "label": "What would make you switch?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Lower cost",
        "Saves time",
        "Easier to use",
        "Better support",
        "Works with my other tools",
        "A friend's recommendation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "would_try",
      "label": "If we built this, would you try it?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes, definitely",
        "Maybe",
        "Probably not",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open_to_call",
      "label": "I am open to a short follow-up call",
      "type": "checkbox"
    },
    {
      "id": "call_email",
      "label": "Email, if you ticked the box above",
      "type": "email"
    }
  ]
}