Uwayxt Product Discovery
Product discovery surfaces the bedrock truth of user pain before writing a single line of code. Everything built on false premises rots.
1. Frame the problem with Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)
State the core struggle without referencing potential features or technologies:
- Format as JTBD:
"When I [struggling situation], I want to [motivation/progress], so I can [expected functional and emotional outcome]." - Differentiate between the functional job ("send invoices"), the emotional job ("feel confident I am not being cheated"), and the social job ("look professional to clients").
- For live or simulated user interviews, utilize structured prompts from INTERVIEW-TEMPLATES.md.
2. Map the actors & decision dynamics
Identify every role interacting with or affected by the workflow:
| Persona / Role | Core Goal | Primary Frustration / Current Workaround | Decision Power (Buyer / Champion / User) | Frequency |
|---|
3. Inventory existing workarounds
Document what users do today without your product: spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups, manual copy-pasting, custom scripts. These workarounds demonstrate both real demand and the switching cost threshold your product must overcome.
4. Scan the competitive landscape & gaps
Map out direct alternatives and substitute behaviors:
- Where do existing market leaders leave underserved edge cases?
- What are the common complaints in customer reviews or support forums?
5. Prioritize assumptions (The 2x2 Matrix)
List all beliefs that must hold true for the product to succeed. Plot them on a matrix:
- X-axis: Known with high evidence ↔ High uncertainty / Guesswork
- Y-axis: Low operational impact ↔ Fatal if wrong (High risk)
The items in the High Uncertainty + Fatal if Wrong quadrant are your Riskiest Assumptions (feeds directly into
mvp-scoping).
6. Design lightweight validation experiments
Before committing engineering resources, define test mechanisms to validate riskiest assumptions:
- Smoke test / Fake-door: Landing page or in-app CTA button measuring conversion intent.
- Concierge / Wizard of Oz test: Fulfilling the service manually behind the scenes to test willingness to pay.
- Pass/Fail Criteria: Define measurable threshold before testing (e.g. "≥15% clickthrough on CTA indicates sufficient problem urgency").
Completion Criteria
- Problem framed in JTBD format (Situation -> Motivation -> Expected Outcome)
- Actor map completed with decision-making power and current workarounds
- Assumptions prioritized on the Uncertainty vs. Criticality matrix
- Top 3 riskiest assumptions isolated with quantitative pass/fail validation tests defined
- Synthesis captured in
discovery_synthesis.md
Output Format
A structured discovery_synthesis.md artifact detailing JTBD statements, actor maps, workaround inventories, assumption prioritization matrix, and validation experiment recipes.
Anti-patterns
- Skipping discovery because the founder or stakeholder "already knows what the market needs."
- Confusing a surface feature request ("add an export to CSV button") with the root problem ("reporting is fragmented").
- Leaving assumption exit criteria unquantified ("we will see if users like it").
- Generating unorganized 20-page interview transcripts without synthesizing actionable themes.