(2020-09-04) Cagan Discovery Problem Vs Solution

Martin Cagan: Discovery - Problem vs. Solution. For as long as our industry has existed, people have wanted to separate the product world into “problem space” and “solution space.” The problem your customer has, and the solution we provide to address that problem

in so many of the best products and innovations, the breakthroughs happen precisely when we break down that wall between problem and solution space.

The clearest example of this is when enabling technology opens up solutions to problems that people didn’t even realize they had.

More generally, with technology products, as you explore potential solutions, your understanding of the problem develops and deepens, often in unexpected and powerful ways.

The vast majority of product efforts fail not because of demand, but because they can’t come up with a solution good enough to get people to switch. (compelling)

Ultimately our job in product discovery is not just to validate the problem, but to come up with a solution that customers love, yet work for our business.

this goes well beyond just engineering. It is the collaboration of product (representing value and viability), design (representing usability) and engineering (representing feasibility). (product team)

MP3 players existed for years, and then the iPod came along and was dramatically better.

It’s worth noting that if you have a crappy solution, it can look to you like the demand isn’t there.