Discovery Process

# Discovery Process Examples

### Example 1: Good Discovery Process (SaaS Retention Problem)

**Context:** SaaS product with 15% monthly churn, hypothesis = onboarding problem.

**Phase 1 - Frame Problem:**
- Ran `problem-framing-canvas.md`: Problem = "Users abandon onboarding due to lack of guidance"
- Problem statement: "60% of non-technical users drop off in first 24 hours"

**Phase 2 - Research Planning:**
- Ran `discovery-interview-prep.md`: Chose "switch interviews" (users who churned)
- Recruited 10 churned customers (last 30 days)

**Phase 3 - Conduct Research:**
- Interviewed 10 churned customers
- Asked: "Walk me through your first experience with the product. Where did you get stuck?"
- Pattern emerged after 6 interviews: Same pain point (empty dashboard, unclear next step)

**Phase 4 - Synthesize:**
- Affinity mapping: 8/10 mentioned "didn't know what to do first"
- Customer quote: "I logged in, saw an empty dashboard, and thought 'now what?'"
- Pain point: "Lack of onboarding guidance" (frequency: 8/10, intensity: HIGH)

**Phase 5 - Generate Solutions:**
- Ran `opportunity-solution-tree.md`: 3 solutions (guided checklist, tooltips, human onboarding)
- Experiment: Figma prototype of guided checklist, tested with 10 new signups
- Result: 9/10 completed first action with checklist (vs. 4/10 without)

**Phase 6 - Decide:**
- Decision: GO (validated problem + solution)
- Wrote epic hypothesis: "If we add guided onboarding checklist, activation rate will increase from 40% to 60%"
- Moved to roadmap (Q1 priority)

**Outcome:** 4 weeks, validated problem/solution, high confidence in build decision.

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### Example 2: Bad Discovery Process (Jumped to Solution)

**Context:** Product team wants to build mobile app.

**Phase 1 - Frame Problem:** Skipped (assumed problem = "need mobile app")

**Phase 2-3 - Research:** Skipped (no customer interviews)

**Phase 5 - Generate Solutions:** Skipped (already decided on solution)

**Phase 6 - Decide:** GO (no validation)

**Outcome:** Built mobile app over 6 months, low adoption, discovered later that responsive web would've solved 80% of use cases in 2 weeks.

**Fix with discovery process:**
- **Phase 1:** Frame problem: "Mobile-first users can't complete workflows on the go"
- **Phase 3:** Interview 10 mobile-first users: "What workflows do you need mobile access for?"
- **Phase 4:** Insight = Users only need 2-3 core workflows on mobile (not full app)
- **Phase 5:** Test responsive web + mobile-optimized flows (2-week experiment)
- **Phase 6:** Result = Responsive web solved problem, saved 5 months dev time

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---
name: discovery-process
description: Run a full discovery cycle from problem hypothesis to validated solution. Use when a team needs a structured path through framing, interviews, synthesis, and experiments.
intent: >-
  Guide product managers through a complete discovery cycle—from initial problem hypothesis to validated solution—by orchestrating problem framing, customer interviews, synthesis, and experimentation skills into a structured process. Use this to systematically explore problem spaces, validate assumptions, and build confidence before committing to full development—avoiding "build it and they will come" syndrome and ensuring you're solving real customer problems.
type: workflow
theme: discovery-research
best_for:
  - "Running a full discovery cycle from hypothesis to validated solution"
  - "Investigating a retention or churn problem systematically"
  - "Setting up continuous discovery as an ongoing practice"
scenarios:
  - "I have a hypothesis that B2B customers struggle with onboarding and want to validate it before building anything"
  - "Our activation rate dropped 15% this quarter and I need to run discovery to find out why"
estimated_time: "30-60 min"
---


## Purpose
Guide product managers through a complete discovery cycle—from initial problem hypothesis to validated solution—by orchestrating problem framing, customer interviews, synthesis, and