What is product discovery?

Product discovery is figuring out what your customers need so you can build the right products and features. It’s about making sure you invest time and resources wisely, solving real problems.

Start with research. Talk to your users. Conduct surveys and interviews to gather insights. Understand their pain points and needs. This helps you avoid building features based on assumptions.

Next, ideate. Brainstorm potential solutions to the problems you’ve identified. Involve your team in this process to get diverse perspectives. Prioritize ideas that offer the most value to users.

Move on to prototyping. Create a minimum viable product (MVP) to test your ideas. An MVP lets you validate your solution without spending too much time or money on full development. Keep it simple but functional.

Finally, test and refine. Gather feedback on your MVP. Use this input to make improvements. Iterate until your product meets user requirements and solves their problems effectively.

By following these steps, you ensure that the final product aligns with customer needs and delivers real value. This approach saves time, reduces costs, and enhances user satisfaction.

Examples of product discovery

Example 1: Social media analytics tool

Problem: Marketers need to track the impact of posts across multiple channels.

Solution: Develop a tool that compiles data automatically. This saves time for creative tasks.

Example 2: Online meeting scheduling app

Problem: Sales teams need flexible scheduling options for internal and external meetings.

Solution: Create a feature allowing different availability settings for various meeting types. This reduces scheduling conflicts.