involves investigating customer problems and creating products to solve them. The ultimate goal is to yet are important enough for potential users to be willing to pay for. Product discovery find problems that existing solutions don't address So then the team could go through improving and creating products for these issues. How to Conduct Product Discovery It usually consists of seven main phases: Assemble the product discovery team. Perform user research. Find common problems. Rate opportunities in terms of importance. Engage in product brainstorming. Validate product/feature concepts. Create prototypes and test them. However, this process doesn't always follow a strict step-by-step order. Some tasks happen at the same time and include smaller cycles of feedback and adjustments. Step 1: Assemble the Product Discovery Team Typically, product discovery teams include: Product Manager UX designer A member of the development team Occasionally, having a researcher, data scientist, or analyst on the team can also be useful. Having a diverse team helps gather and analyze reliable data to make informed decisions. And also create design solutions that are practical, workable, and in line with the research results. Step 2: Perform User Research Various techniques can be used for product and including customer feedback surveys, customer interviews, and analyzing how people use the product. design research Customer Feedback Surveys They allow product teams to collect valuable insights on a larger scale and take different forms, such as: In-app or email surveys to gather user opinions Contextual in-app surveys to evaluate how well features are working Passive feedback forms that let users give feedback when they want Feature-request tools or a public roadmap to collect customer ideas Customer Interviews They offer flexibility to explore ideas that participants bring up, even if you hadn't considered them before. However, it's important to note that while the interviews are flexible, To make the most of them and not waste time, set clear goals and prepare thoroughly. they should be well-structured. Schedule regular user interviews, even if you believe you've already perfected your product-market fit. That’s how you will be able to keep up with changing customer and market needs and have interviewees available to explore new concepts. Product Analytics They provide objective insights into how users interact with the product. By studying , session recordings, or funnel conversions, you can notice new pain points that require attention. heatmaps Step 3: Find Common Problems Review the data and customer feedback you collected during the research stage to spot recurring patterns. The main goal here is to to improve the product and provide a more satisfying user experience. So, you should look into user issues, requirements, or wishes. find opportunities Step 4: Prioritize Opportunities You can’t solve every problem because some of them may not align with the My advice here is to use an which helps you visualize user pain points and needs in relation to business goals. product vision. , Opportunity Solution Tree (OST) But, even after using the OST, you'll likely still have more problems to address than you can handle. That's why it’s important to spend some time prioritizing these opportunities. Use frameworks like the among others, to make these decisions. Kano Model, Cost of Delay, or Dot-voting, Step 5: Engage in Product Brainstorming During the ideation phase, there are various techniques you can use, like story mapping, brainstorming, and mind mapping. Remember, product discovery is a collaborative effort, so it's important to Each team member brings their own expertise and viewpoint, so you can have more creative ideas, better feasibility assessment, and a sense of ownership. involve everyone on the team. Step 6: Validate Product/Feature Concepts Don’t forget to continuously check and verify product features, using techniques like fake door testing. Let's take an example related to Asana. To validate the concept of a , we could simply add it to the menu and catch users' attention with a tooltip. Their interaction with this feature would reveal how interesting it is. "Goals" feature When users click on the feature, they'll realize something is not quite right. In that case, you'd need to explain what you've done and why. Step 7: Create Prototypes and Test Them Start simple, like with sketches, and improve based on customer feedback. Eventually, you'll have a working product. To test prototypes, you can use methods like for basic versions, and as they get more advanced, techniques like guerrilla testing. interviews or focus groups Before launching, beta testing lets real users try it out in their own settings, and you gather insights through analytics, surveys, and interviews to make it better. All in All The product discovery process plays a highly important role in product development. It creates a foundation for creating products that not only meet market and customer requirements but also bring satisfaction to users.

How to Transform Your Service Offering with UX Design

UX Design in the AI Era: Harmony Between New Tech and User Experience

You''ll also see my articles here

Read My Stories

Too Long; Didn't Read

CTA: Download the FREE AI Productivity Shift report

Step-By-Step Product Discovery Process

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

The Art of Enterprise Search: 4 Tips for Effective Implementation

0 to $2000 MRR in One Month - Lessons Learned

Is ‘bias for action’ making product managers lazier?

10 Lessons I Learned as a First-time Tech Product Founder

10 Insights From My At Home Health Experiment

The Art of Enterprise Search: 4 Tips for Effective Implementation

0 to $2000 MRR in One Month - Lessons Learned

Is ‘bias for action’ making product managers lazier?

10 Lessons I Learned as a First-time Tech Product Founder

10 Insights From My At Home Health Experiment

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps