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Also known as: discovery, product exploration, opportunity discovery

Product Discovery

ConceptualProductStrategies

Definition

Product Discovery: Product discovery is the process of understanding customer problems and validating potential solutions before committing to build them. Through research, prototyping, and experimentation, teams reduce the risk of building products nobody wants. Discovery answers two questions: 'Should we build this?' and 'Can we build this?'

Example Usage

“Two weeks of product discovery—customer interviews and prototype testing—saved us months of engineering time by invalidating three of five feature ideas.”

Common Misconceptions

Discovery happens once before building. Continuous discovery keeps products aligned with evolving customer needs.
Discovery means lots of research. Small, fast experiments beat extensive upfront research.
PMs own discovery alone. Cross-functional teams including design and engineering produce better insights.

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