Customer Discovery: Deep User Discovery and Evidence Synthesis

Reject product definitions based on assumptions. Uncover real user behavioral motivations through deep interviews and observations, and transform them into quantifiable "opportunities."

Checklist

1. Identify Target Segments — Who is the person in the most pain right now? Define their characteristics, scenarios, and existing alternatives.
2. Design Non-Leading Interview Protocols — Use the "Past behavior predicts future behavior" principle. Write questions that focus on specific events rather than hypothetical intentions.
3. Execute & Capture Raw Evidence — Save raw dialogue records or key summaries to docs/pmpowers/discovery/.
4. Synthesize Evidence — Extract core pain points, unmet needs, and potential JTBDs.
5. Sync Opportunity Map — Connect synthesized insights to nodes in opportunity-mapping.

Interview Guidance: The Mom Test Protocol

1. Anti-Patterns

• Asking about Future Intent: "If you had this feature, would you use it?" (❌) -> People will lie out of politeness.
• Leading Bias: "Don't you think the current process is cumbersome?" (❌) -> Guiding the user to give the answer you want.
• Selling Solutions: Strictly forbid mentioning your product ideas during the first 90% of the interview. (❌)

2. Best Practices

• Anchor Specific Events: "When was the last time you encountered [Problem]? Please walk me through that process." (✅)
• Dig for Alternatives: "How much money or time do you currently spend to solve this? What tools have you tried?" (✅)
• Deep Dive Motivation (Five Whys): Ask why repeatedly until you touch on the user's emotional motivation or efficiency bottleneck. (✅)

Core Framework: JTBD (Job-to-be-Done)

Every research output must be able to fill the following formula:

"When I am in [Scenario], I want to [Take Some Action], so that I can [Achieve Some Progress/Outcome]."

Delivery Standards

Interview records and synthesis reports must be stored in docs/pmpowers/discovery/YYYY-MM-DD-<user-or-segment>.md.