A Comprehensive Framework for Rigorous Product Thinking -- Step 1: Problem Identification & Validation
How to Ensure You're Solving the Right Problem
Welcome to part two of our ten-part series on rigorous product thinking. If you’re just joining us, here are links to previous posts, and a sense of what’s ahead:
Step 1: Problem Identification & Validation ← This post
Step 2: Market & Competitive Analysis
Step 3: User Segmentation
Step 4: Ideation & Solution Exploration
Step 5: Validation and Prototyping
Step 6: Value Proposition and MVP
Step 7: Measurement and Learning
Step 8: Iteration and Refinement
Step 9: Scaling, Monitoring, and Continuous Improvement
The main question we’ll be answering in today’s post: How (and Why) do you deeply understand the problem space?
Let’s get right into it.
Remember Sarah? Despite her best intentions, past product launches left her feeling frustrated. Determined to turn things around, she's embraced a new framework for rigorous product thinking.
Today, we're joining her on the first critical step: making sure she's zeroed in on a real, painful problem worth dedicating her time and resources to.
It's easy to get excited by an idea, especially if you've personally experienced a problem. But even well-intentioned PMs can fall into the trap of building solutions based on their own assumptions or limited feedback. This leads to
Wasted Effort: Building features nobody truly wants or needs.
Missed Opportunities: Overlooking problems with a larger potential impact.
User Confusion: Products that try to solve too many problems at once.
Did you know that Slack started out as an internal tool for a gaming company? Imagine if they never recognized the broader potential of their communication platform! Early problem validation could have made their transition to the business communication giant we know today much smoother.
Here's where the framework comes in: It provided Sarah with a set of questions to guide her:
What's the Problem?: Be specific. "People are stressed" is too vague. Dig deeper into the root cause.
Who Has It?: Get clear on your target user demographics, behaviors, and motivations.
How Severe Is It?: Is it a minor annoyance or a critical obstacle impacting lives?
Existing Solutions: What are people doing to address it now? Where do these fall short?
Must-Haves vs. Nice-to-Haves: What features are essential vs. potential add-ons?
Potential Impact: How big is the market for people with this problem?
Sarah's Aha Moment
Initially, Sarah thought she had a winning idea: a social app to help people find workout buddies. But as she started answering these questions, flaws emerged. People were already using general social media for this, and finding a compatible workout partner was more nuanced than the app allowed. It was back on the drawing board.
The framework emphasized the need for evidence, not just enthusiasm. Sarah realized she needed:
Quantitative Data:
Market reports on fitness trends
Social media usage statistics
Qualitative Data
Interviews with potential users
Surveys to gauge interest
Observational studies (how do people actually find workout partners?)
Through her research, a different problem became clear: Busy professionals struggle to maintain fitness routines due to work/life balance. It wasn't about finding buddies, but fitting workouts into unpredictable schedules. This was a much more compelling issue backed by data, and Sarah's new product idea started to take shape.
Up Next: Market & Competitive Analysis
With a validated problem in hand, Sarah's ready to dive into understanding the existing landscape. What other solutions are out there, and how can she differentiate her offering? Stay tuned for our next post!
Let’s discuss
Have you ever built something you thought was brilliant, only to discover it didn't solve a real user problem? Share your experiences in the comments.