Discovery & Research

What is Product Discovery?

Product discovery is the process of understanding user needs, market opportunities, and solution viability before committing to build. The goal is to reduce risk by validating assumptions early.

“Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” — Uri Levine, Waze founder

Why Discovery Matters

The Four Risks to Address

Discovery should validate four types of risk:

1. Value Risk

Question: Will users want this?

• Do users have this problem?
• Is the problem painful enough to solve?
• Will they use/buy our solution?

2. Usability Risk

Question: Can users figure out how to use it?

• Is the solution intuitive?
• Does it fit their workflow?
• What’s the learning curve?

3. Feasibility Risk

Question: Can we build it?

• Do we have the technical capability?
• What are the constraints?
• How long will it take?

4. Viability Risk

Question: Does it work for the business?

• Can we make money?
• Does it align with strategy?
• Can we support it operationally?

Discovery Methods

User Research

User Interviews

One-on-one conversations to understand user needs, behaviors, and pain points.

Best for: Deep understanding, discovering unknown problems, validating assumptions

Tips:

• Ask about past behavior, not hypothetical futures
• “Tell me about the last time you…” > “Would you use…?”
• Listen more than you talk (80/20 rule)
• Don’t pitch or validate your solution

Sample Questions:

• “Walk me through how you do X today”
• “What’s the hardest part about that?”
• “What happens when X goes wrong?”
• “How do you currently solve this problem?”

Surveys

Quantitative data collection from larger samples.

Best for: Validating hypotheses at scale, prioritizing known problems, measuring satisfaction

Tips:

• Keep it short (5-10 minutes max)
• Use a mix of closed and open questions
• Avoid leading questions
• Consider incentives for completion

Observation / Contextual Inquiry

Watching users in their natural environment.

Best for: Understanding real workflows, discovering unstated needs, seeing workarounds

Tips:

• Observe before asking questions
• Note what they do vs. what they say
• Look for frustration points and workarounds

Market Research

Competitive Analysis

Understanding what alternatives exist and how you can differentiate.

Key Areas:

• Feature comparison
• Pricing and packaging
• Positioning and messaging
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Market share and trends

Output: Competitive landscape map, feature matrix, positioning opportunities

Market Sizing

Estimating the potential opportunity.

Approaches:

• TAM (Total Addressable Market): Total market demand
• SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market): Portion you could realistically reach
• SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market): Realistic near-term target

Methods:

• Top-down: Industry reports, analyst data
• Bottom-up: Customer counts × average deal size
• Value-based: Problem cost × willingness to pay

Validation Techniques

Prototype Testing

Test solution concepts before building production code.

Fidelity Levels:

Fake Door / Painted Door Tests

Measure interest before building.

How it works:

1. Create a button/link for the new feature
2. Track clicks/interest
3. Show “coming soon” message
4. Use data to validate demand

Example: Add “Digital Audiences” to the navigation, track clicks, show waitlist signup

Landing Page Tests

Test positioning and value proposition.

What to test:

• Headlines and messaging
• Feature emphasis
• Pricing approaches
• Call-to-action effectiveness

Discovery Artifacts

User Persona

A semi-fictional representation of your target user based on research.

Components:

• Demographics and role
• Goals and motivations
• Pain points and frustrations
• Behaviors and preferences
• Quotes from research

Path2Response Example:

Acquisition Director - Nonprofit “I need to find new donors who will give, not just open mail. I’m tired of agencies promising results they can’t deliver.”

Customer Journey Map

Visualization of user experience across touchpoints.

Stages:

1. Awareness → 2. Consideration → 3. Purchase → 4. Onboarding → 5. Usage → 6. Renewal

For each stage, document:

• User actions
• Thoughts and feelings
• Pain points
• Opportunities

Problem Statement

Clear articulation of the problem to solve.

Format:

[User type] needs a way to [action/goal] because [insight/pain point]. Today they [current workaround], which [consequence].

Example:

Marketing agencies need a way to target in-market consumers for their clients because third-party cookies are being deprecated. Today they rely on modeled data from DMPs, which delivers declining performance and lacks transparency.

Opportunity Assessment

Structured evaluation of whether to pursue an opportunity.

Key sections:

• Problem/opportunity description
• Target user and market
• Current alternatives
• Proposed solution approach
• Business case (sizing, revenue potential)
• Risks and open questions
• Recommendation (pursue, investigate, pass)

Continuous Discovery

Discovery isn’t just a phase—it’s an ongoing practice.

Weekly Discovery Habits

Teresa Torres’ Continuous Discovery framework suggests:

1. Weekly customer touchpoints — At least one user interaction per week
2. Map the opportunity space — Maintain an opportunity solution tree
3. Run small experiments — Continuously validate assumptions

Opportunity Solution Tree

                    ┌─────────────────────┐
                    │   Desired Outcome   │
                    │  (Business metric)  │
                    └──────────┬──────────┘
                               │
         ┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
         │                     │                     │
    ┌────┴────┐           ┌────┴────┐           ┌────┴────┐
    │Opportunity│         │Opportunity│         │Opportunity│
    │    A      │         │    B      │         │    C      │
    └────┬────┘           └────┬────┘           └────┬────┘
         │                     │                     │
    ┌────┴────┐           ┌────┴────┐           ┌────┴────┐
    │Solution │           │Solution │           │Solution │
    │   A1    │           │   B1    │           │   C1    │
    └────┬────┘           └─────────┘           └─────────┘
         │
    ┌────┴────┐
    │Experiment│
    │   A1.1   │
    └─────────┘

Discovery at Path2Response

B2B Discovery Considerations

• Access to users: Work through sales and account management relationships
• Buying committees: Research multiple stakeholders (user, buyer, influencer)
• Longer cycles: Plan for extended validation timelines
• Relationship sensitivity: Coordinate research through proper channels

Data Product Discovery

• Data quality validation: Test data meets user expectations
• Integration requirements: Understand technical environment
• Privacy constraints: Ensure compliance from discovery phase
• Performance requirements: Validate scale and latency needs

Research Sources at P2R