When we work with a client on a new product—whether it’s a mobile app or custom web app—we take the time to understand the customer segments who will be using the platform.
We recently worked with a client on a new app where this customer discovery process played a big part in validating the features we built—saving time and money.
The client came to us having talked to plenty of their potential customers to validate the idea would have product-market fit. We love when clients take the initiative to do this! Because of the work they did before coming to us, we were able to jump right into the Value Proposition Canvas.
When we explained the Value Proposition Canvas, the client was initially hesitant. They weren’t bought into the process at first, but trusted us to lead them through to get valuable information.
After walking through the jobs, pains, and gains, as well as the products/services, pain relievers, and gain creators for each customer segment, a few themes were exposed that needed to be validated. Validation is a very important step in the Value Proposition Canvas. The first time you fill it out, you uncover a lot of assumptions. Taking the time to validate those assumptions separates the good products from the great.
The client set out to validate a potential new user role identified during the Value Proposition Canvas activity. They went out to their customer groups to confirm or deny whether this new role was needed. The need was confirmed.
By using the Value Proposition Canvas and validating assumptions, we identified a need early on that would have been discovered eventually throughout the development and testing process. Identifying it up front helped eliminate rework, delays, and a potentially negative customer experience.
When it comes to building software, you can build anything you want. The key to success is building the right thing. The Value Proposition Canvas and customer discovery helps us understand what that right thing is and build based on customer needs, not assumptions.
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