menkesu Continuous Discovery Habits
When This Skill Activates
Claude uses this skill when:
- Setting up discovery processes
- Planning weekly user research
- Creating opportunity solution trees
- Testing assumptions
- Building product trio workflows
- Prioritizing discovery activities
Core Frameworks
1. Continuous Discovery Habits (Source: Teresa Torres)
The Core Principle:
"At a minimum, weekly touchpoints with customers by the team building the product, where they conduct small research activities in pursuit of a desired outcome."
The Three Pillars:
- Weekly customer contact by the product trio (PM, designer, engineer)
- Opportunity solution trees to visualize discovery
- Assumption testing before building
Use when: Establishing discovery processes or improving product decisions
2. The Product Trio
The Team:
- Product Manager: Ensures business viability
- Designer: Ensures usability and desirability
- Engineer: Ensures feasibility
Why Together:
"When a designer, engineer, and PM collaborate on discovery, you get better decisions faster. Each brings a unique lens."
How:
- All three participate in customer interviews
- All three analyze research together
- All three generate solutions together
- All three test assumptions together
3. Opportunity Solution Trees
The Structure:
Outcome (top)
↓
Opportunities (customer needs/pain points)
↓
Solutions (possible ways to address)
↓
Assumptions (what needs to be true)
↓
Experiments (how to test)
Use when: Need to visualize the path from outcome to solution
Example:
Outcome: Increase retention to 80%
↓
Opportunity: Users forget to use the product
↓
Solution: Daily email reminder
↓
Assumption: Users check email daily
↓
Experiment: Survey 20 users about email habits
4. Interview Snapshot
The One-Pager: After each interview, create a snapshot capturing:
- Date & Participant: Who and when
- Key Insights: 3-5 main takeaways
- Opportunities: Customer needs/pain points discovered
- Quotes: Verbatim customer language
- Next Steps: What to test or explore next
Why: Keeps learning accessible to the whole team
5. Assumption Testing
The Progression:
Story → Assumptions → Tests → Evidence
Question to Ask:
"What needs to be true for this solution to work?"
Test Types (by risk/cost):
- One-question surveys (lowest risk)
- Customer interviews
- Prototypes/mockups
- Concierge tests (manual behind-the-scenes)
- Wizard of Oz (fake the feature)
- Live data tests (build and measure)
Rule: Test highest-risk assumptions first with lowest-cost method
Decision Trees
Should I Build This Feature?
Do we have a clear outcome?
├─ No → Define outcome first
└─ Yes → Have we interviewed 6+ customers?
├─ No → Do discovery first
└─ Yes → Have we identified opportunities?
├─ No → Map opportunities
└─ Yes → Have we tested key assumptions?
├─ No → Test assumptions first
└─ Yes → Build it!
How Should I Test This Assumption?
What's the risk if we're wrong?
├─ Low risk → Build and ship (reversible)
└─ High risk → How much does testing cost?
├─ Low cost → Interview 5 users
├─ Medium cost → Prototype test
└─ High cost → Still cheaper than building wrong thing
Action Templates
Template: Weekly Discovery Plan
# Weekly Discovery Plan - Week of [Date]
## Outcome We're Pursuing
[e.g., Increase activation rate to 50%]
## This Week's Focus
**Opportunity:** [Which pain point are we exploring?]
**Solution:** [Which solution are we considering?]
**Key Assumption:** [What needs to be true?]
## Discovery Activities (Minimum 1 per week)
### Monday-Wednesday: Research
- [ ] Interview 1: [Participant profile] - [PM/Designer/Engineer attending]
- [ ] Interview 2: [Participant profile] - [PM/Designer/Engineer attending]
- [ ] Interview 3: [Participant profile] - [PM/Designer/Engineer attending]
### Thursday: Synthesis
- [ ] Product trio synthesis session (30 min)
- [ ] Create/update interview snapshots
- [ ] Update opportunity solution tree
- [ ] Identify new assumptions to test
### Friday: Planning
- [ ] Review evidence collected
- [ ] Decide: build, test more, or pivot?
- [ ] Plan next week's discovery activities
## Interview Snapshots
[Link to snapshots folder]
## Opportunity Solution Tree
[Link to latest tree]
Template: Interview Snapshot
# Interview Snapshot - [Date]
## Participant
- **Name/ID:** [Anonymized if needed]
- **Role:** [Job title/persona]
- **Context:** [Relevant background]
## Interview Focus
[What we were trying to learn]
## Key Insights
1. [First major insight]
2. [Second major insight]
3. [Third major insight]
## Opportunities Discovered
- 📍 [Pain point or unmet need #1]
- 📍 [Pain point or unmet need #2]
- 📍 [Pain point or unmet need #3]
## Memorable Quotes
> "[Exact customer words that capture key point]"
> "[Another powerful quote]"
## Updated Assumptions
- ✅ Validated: [What we confirmed]
- ❌ Invalidated: [What we disproved]
- ❓ New: [New assumptions to test]
## Next Steps
- [ ] [Specific action based on learning]
- [ ] [Another action]
## Attending
- [PM name]
- [Designer name]
- [Engineer name]
Template: Opportunity Solution Tree
# Opportunity Solution Tree - [Product/Feature Name]
## Outcome
🎯 **[Business outcome we're driving]**
[Specific, measurable, time-bound]
---
## Opportunities (Customer Needs/Pain Points)
### Opportunity 1: [Customer problem]
**Evidence:** [3-5 customer interviews, usage data, etc.]
**Impact:** [How big is this problem?]
#### Solutions Being Considered:
1. **[Solution A]**
- Assumptions:
- [ ] Assumption 1
- [ ] Assumption 2
- Tests: [How we'll validate]
- Status: [Testing/Building/Shipped]
2. **[Solution B]**
- Assumptions:
- [ ] Assumption 1
- [ ] Assumption 2
- Tests: [How we'll validate]
- Status: [Testing/Building/Shipped]
### Opportunity 2: [Another customer problem]
**Evidence:** [3-5 customer interviews, usage data, etc.]
**Impact:** [How big is this problem?]
[Continue for each opportunity...]
---
## Decision Log
- **[Date]:** Chose Solution A for Opportunity 1 because [evidence]
- **[Date]:** Decided to test Assumption X before building
- **[Date]:** Pivoted from Solution B to Solution C based on [learning]
Template: Assumption Test Plan
# Assumption Test Plan - [Feature/Solution Name]
## Solution Statement
[Brief description of what we're considering building]
## Key Assumptions
### Assumption 1: [High Risk]
**Statement:** [What needs to be true]
**If wrong:** [What's the impact?]
**Confidence:** [Low/Medium/High]
**Test Method:** [Interview/Survey/Prototype/etc.]
**Success Criteria:** [What would validate this?]
**Timeline:** [When we'll test]
**Owner:** [Who's running the test]
---
### Assumption 2: [Medium Risk]
**Statement:** [What needs to be true]
**If wrong:** [What's the impact?]
**Confidence:** [Low/Medium/High]
**Test Method:** [Interview/Survey/Prototype/etc.]
**Success Criteria:** [What would validate this?]
**Timeline:** [When we'll test]
**Owner:** [Who's running the test]
---
## Test Results
### Assumption 1 Results
**Date Tested:** [Date]
**Method Used:** [What we did]
**Sample Size:** [How many participants]
**Findings:**
- [Key finding 1]
- [Key finding 2]
- [Key finding 3]
**Decision:** ✅ Validated / ❌ Invalidated / ❓ Needs more testing
**Next Steps:** [What we'll do based on results]
---
### Assumption 2 Results
[Same structure as above]
Quick Reference
📅 Weekly Discovery Cadence
Every Week Minimum:
- 3-5 customer touchpoints (interviews, observation, etc.)
- Product trio participates together
- Create interview snapshots
- Update opportunity solution tree
- Test at least 1 assumption
Every Month:
- Review all evidence collected
- Update outcomes if needed
- Celebrate learning (not just building)
🎯 Discovery vs Delivery Balance
Good Discovery Practice:
- ✅ Discovery happens weekly (not just quarterly)
- ✅ Product trio does discovery together
- ✅ Small tests before big builds
- ✅ Evidence-based decisions
- ✅ Comfortable saying "we learned that won't work"
Signs of Insufficient Discovery:
- ❌ Only talking to customers after shipping
- ❌ PM does all research alone
- ❌ Building first, validating later
- ❌ Opinion-based decisions
- ❌ Fear of "wasting time" on research
🌳 Opportunity Solution Tree Checklist
Before Creating:
- Clear outcome defined
- Conducted 6+ customer interviews
- Identified multiple opportunities
When Building Tree:
- Start with ONE outcome (top)
- Map opportunities (not solutions)
- Generate multiple solutions per opportunity
- List assumptions for each solution
- Plan tests for assumptions
Using the Tree:
- Update weekly with new learning
- Share with stakeholders
- Use to explain why you're building what
- Reference when prioritizing work
🧪 Assumption Testing Hierarchy
Test in This Order:
- Desirability - Do customers want this?
- Usability - Can they use it?
- Feasibility - Can we build it?
- Viability - Should we build it?
Use Cheapest Test First:
Interview < Survey < Prototype < Concierge < Build
Real-World Examples
Example: Spotify's Discovery Process
Outcome: Increase music discovery engagement
Opportunity: Users don't know what to listen to
- Evidence: Interviews showed decision fatigue
- Solution considered: Algorithmic playlists
- Assumption: Users trust algorithmic recommendations
- Test: Created Discover Weekly, measured engagement
- Result: Massive success, became core feature
Key Learning: They tested the algorithm assumption before building fancy UX
Example: Netflix's Continue Watching
Outcome: Reduce time to content consumption
Opportunity: Users forget what they were watching
- Evidence: Drop-off analysis + customer interviews
- Solution: "Continue Watching" row
- Assumption: Users want to resume (not restart)
- Test: A/B test with 5% of users
- Result: Validated, rolled to 100%
Key Learning: Small test before full build saved months of work
Common Pitfalls
❌ Discovery Theater
Problem: Doing research but not changing decisions Solution: Explicitly decide what you'll do if assumptions are wrong
❌ Outsourcing Discovery
Problem: PM does research, then "throws it over the wall" Solution: Product trio interviews together
❌ Building Multiple Solutions at Once
Problem: Spreading resources too thin Solution: Test assumptions first, build one at a time
❌ Skipping Discovery "To Move Fast"
Problem: Building wrong thing is slowest path Solution: Small tests are faster than big rebuilds
❌ Only Talking to Happy Customers
Problem: Missing problems and churn reasons Solution: Interview across the spectrum (new, power, churned users)
Key Quotes
Teresa Torres on Weekly Contact:
"If you're not talking to customers every week, you're not doing continuous discovery."
On Product Trios:
"The best product decisions come from diverse perspectives. A PM, designer, and engineer will see different things in the same customer interview."
On Opportunity Solution Trees:
"The tree makes your thinking visible. It shows how you got from an outcome to a solution, which builds stakeholder trust."
On Assumption Testing:
"Don't ask customers what to build. Test assumptions about what will work."
On Discovery vs Delivery:
"Discovery and delivery should happen continuously. Discovery doesn't end when you start building."
Related Skills
Use together with:
- user-feedback-system - For ongoing feedback collection
- jtbd-building - For understanding customer motivations
- exp-driven-dev - For testing assumptions with data
- metrics-frameworks - For defining outcomes
- strategic-build - For deciding what's worth discovering
Comes before:
- zero-to-launch - Discover before building
- design-first-dev - Design based on discovery
Comes after:
- strategy-frameworks - Define strategy, then discover how
Quick Start Guide
Week 1: Set Up Discovery Process
- Form product trio (PM, designer, engineer)
- Define one clear outcome to pursue
- Schedule first 3 customer interviews
- Create interview snapshot template
Week 2: Start Discovery Habit
- Conduct 3 interviews together
- Create interview snapshots
- Begin opportunity solution tree
- Identify opportunities from interviews
Week 3: Map Solutions
- Generate 3+ solutions per opportunity
- List assumptions for each solution
- Prioritize which assumptions to test
- Plan assumption tests
Week 4: Test Assumptions
- Run first assumption tests
- Update opportunity solution tree
- Decide: build, test more, or pivot
- Make discovery routine sustainable
Remember: Continuous discovery isn't a phase. It's a habit. The product trio that talks to customers weekly makes better product decisions.
Guest: Teresa Torres
Book: Continuous Discovery Habits (2021)
Website: producttalk.org
Known for: Opportunity Solution Trees, Product Trios, Weekly Touchpoints