Customer discovery

<p>Creates theories that map the <em><a class="wikilink" href="/founders/">founders</a></em>' vision for the product with customers (or markets) that will benefit from them. </p> <ul> <li>Do you understand the problems and needs?</li> <li>Do you understand <em>how</em> to solve the problem? </li> </ul> <p>If you know, then you can move on to <a class="wikilink" href="/customer_validation/">Customer Validation</a></p> <p>It is <strong>very</strong> important to realize that the customer discovery happens <strong>outside</strong> the building. The pitfall of <a class="wikilink" href="/assuming_we_understand_the_customer/">Assuming we understand the customer</a> is extremely likely. There is no other option but <a class="wikilink" href="/talking_to_customers/">talking to customers</a> in order to understand what they <em>need</em>. This is the step to apply <a class="wikilink" href="/jobs_theory/">jobs theory</a>, develop the <a class="wikilink" href="/customer_journey/">customer journey</a>, and to identify opportunities. </p> <p>Also, <a class="wikilink" href="/founders_have_a_fundamental_role_in_customer_discovery/">Founders have a fundamental role in customer discovery</a>, because only they can push forward the process and they have to live it in first-person. </p> <p>The trigger for product discovery is the founder's vision (sometimes closely related to the <a class="wikilink" href="/product_vision/">product vision</a>) and the customer discovery is used to justify the <a class="wikilink" href="/market_thesis/">market thesis</a> (i.e. finding a <em>market</em> where to sell the product). </p> <p>It is during this stage that the company builds a <a class="wikilink" href="/minimum_viable_prototype/">minimum viable prototype</a>, and a <a class="wikilink" href="/minimum_viable_product/">minimum viable product</a> to show to users and understand if there's a match between features and needs. </p> <p>Importantly, the MVP is addressing <em>the few</em>, not the many. You should focus on building for those early customers who showed interest, and through them you'll find a way of scaling up to a larger pool of users. </p> <p>Some people call this group the <a class="wikilink" href="/crazy_quilt_around_a_product/">Crazy quilt around a product</a>, some call them <a class="wikilink" href="/earlyvangelist/">earlyvangelist</a>. </p> <p>The requirements of the earlyvangelists can be met with a <a class="wikilink" href="/minimum_viable_product/">minimum viable product</a>.</p>