What is the purpose of customer discovery?
Customer discovery turns assumptions about who has a problem and how they cope into evidence, helping define a meaningful problem before committing heavily to a solution.
Study 1 Customer Problems and Discovery with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
What is the purpose of customer discovery?
Customer discovery turns assumptions about who has a problem and how they cope into evidence, helping define a meaningful problem before committing heavily to a solution.
What is a customer segment?
A customer segment is a group of people or organizations that share relevant needs or circumstances. Begin with a narrow, testable description rather than “everyone.”
Why distinguish users, decision-makers, and buyers?
In organizations, the user, decision-maker, and buyer may be different people. Investigate each role because their priorities may differ.
What kinds of jobs to be done can customers have?
A job to be done is what someone is trying to accomplish in a particular circumstance. It may be functional, emotional, or social.
How do customer pains differ from desired outcomes?
Pains are obstacles, delays, uncertainty, risks, or frustration. Desired outcomes are the results people want, and are not always simply the opposite of a pain.
How can an interview uncover actual customer behavior?
Ask about a recent, specific experience, such as the last time someone completed a task. Follow up on what they did, how often it happens, and its consequences.
Why avoid asking customers if they would use your proposed solution?
A hypothetical question about whether someone would use a proposed product invites cheap approval; a positive answer does not show that the problem is important.
What evidence suggests a customer problem matters?
Look for repeated workarounds, time or money spent, missed opportunities, complaints, and risks. These can indicate effort and consequences tied to a problem.
How do interviews differ from surveys and market data?
Interviews help explain customer experiences; surveys and market data can help estimate how common a pattern is.
What belongs in a useful problem statement?
A useful problem statement identifies who is affected, what they are trying to do, and the difficulty or consequence they face—without prescribing a product.
What five factors help compare candidate problems?
Assess importance, frequency and recency, current effort to address the problem, reachability of affected people, and consistency across the proposed segment.
Does one compelling customer story prove a widespread need?
One compelling story is a clue, not proof of a widespread need. Look for recurring patterns across people and compare them with market information.