Customer Discovery

Overview

Validate customer problems and solutions before building

Steps

Step 1: Define hypothesis to test

State your assumptions clearly in testable form:

1. Customer: “I believe [customer segment] …”
2. Problem: ”… has the problem of [specific problem] …”
3. Solution: ”… which can be solved by [proposed solution] …”
4. Value: ”… and they would pay [price/effort] for it.”

For each component, rate your confidence level (high/medium/low) and identify what evidence would validate or invalidate it.

Step 2: Identify and recruit interview targets

Define your early adopter profile:

• Has the problem acutely (not just mildly)
• Knows they have the problem (aware of pain)
• Actively seeking solution (not passive)
• Has budget/authority to buy
• Willing to try new things (not risk-averse)

Find them through:

• LinkedIn searches and outreach
• Online communities (Reddit, forums, Slack groups)
• Professional associations and events
• Referrals from your network
• Paid recruiting services if needed

Screen candidates with qualifying questions before scheduling.

Step 3: Conduct problem interviews

For each interview, follow this structure:

Opening (2 min):

• Thank them for time
• Explain purpose: learning, not selling
• Ask permission to take notes

Context (5 min):

• “Tell me about your role/situation”
• “Walk me through a typical day/week”
• “What are your biggest challenges?”

Problem exploration (15 min):

• “Tell me about the last time you experienced [problem]”
• “What happened? Walk me through it”
• “How did that make you feel?”
• “What did you do about it?”
• “How often does this happen?”
• “What does it cost you (time, money, stress)?”

Current solutions (10 min):

• “What do you do today to address this?”
• “What tools/processes do you use?”
• “What do you like about current approach?”
• “What do you wish was different?”
• “Have you tried other solutions? What happened?”

Wrap-up (3 min):

• Summarize what you heard
• Ask if you missed anything
• Ask for referrals
• Thank them

Listen for strong signals: they’ve tried to solve it, spending money, frustrated with current solutions, ask when yours is available.

Avoid: pitching, leading questions, asking “would you buy X?”

Step 4: Synthesize problem findings

Analyze interview data for patterns:

1. Group similar responses into themes
2. Count frequency of each theme
3. Note contradictions and outliers
4. Identify potential customer segments

Assess against validation criteria:

• Do 70%+ have the problem?
• Is it a top 3 priority for them?
• Are they spending time/money on it?
• Are current solutions inadequate?

Document surprising insights and questions for further exploration.

Step 5: Conduct solution interviews

If problem is validated, test solution resonance:

Context (5 min):

• Briefly revisit the problem they described

Solution demo (10 min):

• Show mockup, prototype, or concept
• Explain key features and benefits
• Watch their reaction closely

Feedback (15 min):

• “What’s your initial reaction?”
• “What do you like?”
• “What concerns you?”
• “What’s missing?”
• “Would this solve your problem?”
• “How would this fit into your workflow?”

Commitment test (5 min):

• “If this existed today, would you use it?”
• “What would you pay for this?”
• “Can I add you to beta list?”
• “Would you pre-order/put down deposit?”

Track commitment ladder:

• Verbal interest (weak - polite response)
• Email/contact for updates (mild interest)
• Time commitment - more calls (moderate)
• Letter of intent (strong)
• Pre-order/deposit (very strong)

Step 6: Synthesize and decide

Compile all findings into validation assessment:

Problem validation:

• Severity rating across interviews
• Willingness to pay for solution
• Underserved by current alternatives

Solution validation:

• Does it solve the validated problem?
• Is it preferred over alternatives?
• Is there commitment evidence (not just compliments)?
• Are objections addressable?

Make go/no-go recommendation:

• GO: Both problem and solution validated with evidence
• PIVOT: Problem validated but solution needs rework
• ITERATE: Need more interviews or different segment
• STOP: Problem not validated or market too small

Step 7: Document and communicate findings

Create comprehensive discovery report:

1. Executive summary with recommendation
2. Hypothesis tested and validation results
3. Customer insights and segments identified
4. Key quotes and evidence
5. Recommended next steps

Share findings with stakeholders:

• Product team for solution refinement
• Leadership for go/no-go decision
• Sales/marketing for positioning insights

Update product roadmap or pivot plan based on findings.

When to Use

• Starting a new product or business idea
• Before significant development investment (time, money, resources)
• When launching a new feature that requires substantial effort
• When assumptions about customer needs haven’t been validated
• Pivoting or expanding into new markets or segments
• When previous product attempts have failed to gain traction
• Before committing to a specific solution architecture
• When stakeholders disagree about customer priorities

Verification

• Sufficient interviews conducted (minimum 10-15 for problem discovery)
• Interviews were with qualified early adopter profiles
• Questions were open-ended and non-leading
• Listened more than talked in each interview
• Evidence includes specific quotes and behaviors, not just opinions
• Both confirming and disconfirming evidence was sought
• Commitment was tested with concrete asks, not hypotheticals

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Apply this procedure to the input provided.