customer-discovery

仓库: guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills
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排名: #18814

安装

npx skills add https://github.com/guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills --skill customer-discovery

Customer Discovery Systematically validate your business hypotheses before building anything. Master Steve Blank's Customer Development methodology that became the foundation of Lean Startup and YC's approach. When to Use This Skill Starting a new venture to avoid building something nobody wants Before writing a line of code to validate problem-solution fit Pivoting decisions to systematically test new directions Early-stage fundraising to prove market validation Product roadmap planning to prioritize based on validated customer needs Entering new markets to understand unfamiliar customer segments Methodology Foundation Aspect Details Source Steve Blank - "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" (2005) Core Principle "No business plan survives first contact with customers. Get out of the building." Why This Matters Startups fail because they build products nobody wants. Customer Discovery replaces guessing with systematic learning before you run out of money. What Claude Does vs What You Decide Claude Does You Decide Structures content frameworks Final messaging Suggests persuasion techniques Brand voice Creates draft variations Version selection Identifies optimization opportunities Publication timing Analyzes competitor approaches Strategic direction What This Skill Does Documents business hypotheses - Turns assumptions into testable statements Designs validation experiments - Creates tests that can prove you wrong Structures customer conversations - Gets real insights, not false positives Evaluates problem-solution fit - Determines if you should proceed, pivot, or stop Creates learning roadmap - Prioritizes what to validate first Tracks validation progress - Maintains evidence-based decision making How to Use Start Customer Discovery for a New Idea I'm starting customer discovery for [business idea]. Help me document my hypotheses and design validation experiments. Use Steve Blank's Customer Development methodology. Evaluate Customer Discovery Progress Here's what I've learned from [X] customer interviews: [summary] Evaluate my progress against Customer Discovery criteria. Should I proceed, pivot, or go back to more interviews? Design a Validation Experiment I need to validate this hypothesis: [hypothesis] Design a Customer Discovery experiment to test it. What would prove it true? What would prove it false? Instructions When helping with Customer Discovery, follow Steve Blank's systematic approach: Step 1: Document Your Business Model Hypotheses

Business Model Canvas Hypotheses

Before talking to customers, document what you BELIEVE to be true. These are GUESSES until validated.

Customer Hypotheses

# Hypothesis Confidence Evidence
C1 Our target customer is [WHO] Low/Med/High [None yet]
C2 They have this problem: [WHAT] Low/Med/High [None yet]
C3 The problem is severe because [WHY] Low/Med/High [None yet]
C4 They currently solve it by [HOW] Low/Med/High [None yet]
### Value Proposition Hypotheses
# Hypothesis Confidence Evidence
--- ------------ ------------ ----------
V1 Our solution provides [BENEFIT] Low/Med/High [None yet]
V2 Customers care about [FEATURE/OUTCOME] Low/Med/High [None yet]
V3 We're differentiated by [UNIQUE VALUE] Low/Med/High [None yet]
### Channel Hypotheses
# Hypothesis Confidence Evidence
--- ------------ ------------ ----------
H1 We can reach customers through [CHANNEL] Low/Med/High [None yet]
H2 Customer acquisition will cost [ESTIMATE] Low/Med/High [None yet]
### Revenue Hypotheses
# Hypothesis Confidence Evidence
--- ------------ ------------ ----------
R1 Customers will pay [PRICE] Low/Med/High [None yet]
R2 Revenue model: [TYPE] Low/Med/High [None yet]
R3 Lifetime value: [ESTIMATE] Low/Med/High [None yet]
Critical Rule:
You don't have a business until these hypotheses are validated with real evidence from real customers.
Step 2: Prioritize What to Validate First
## Hypothesis Prioritization Matrix
Prioritize by RISK and IMPACT:
Hypothesis If WRONG, Impact Current Confidence Priority
------------ ------------------ ------------------- ----------
[H1] Fatal/Major/Minor Low/Med/High P1/P2/P3
[H2] Fatal/Major/Minor Low/Med/High P1/P2/P3
### Priority Rules:
- P1: Fatal if wrong + Low confidence → Validate FIRST
- P2: Major if wrong + Low/Med confidence → Validate SOON
- P3: Minor if wrong OR High confidence → Validate LATER
### Your P1 Hypotheses (Validate These First):
1. ________
2. ________
3. ________
These are your "leap of faith" assumptions.
Step 3: Design Validation Experiments
## Experiment Design Template
### Hypothesis Being Tested:
"We believe [CUSTOMER SEGMENT] has [PROBLEM] and would [BEHAVIOR]."
### Experiment Type:
- [ ] Customer Interviews (Problem Discovery)
- [ ] Solution Interviews (Solution Validation)
- [ ] Landing Page Test (Demand Validation)
- [ ] Concierge MVP (Solution Validation)
- [ ] Smoke Test (Demand Validation)
### Success Criteria:
Validated if: [Specific, measurable outcome]
Invalidated if: [Specific, measurable outcome]
Example:
- Validated: 8+ of 10 customers describe this exact problem unprompted
- Invalidated: Fewer than 5 of 10 mention this problem
### Sample Size:
- Minimum: [Number] customers
- Target segment: [Description]
### Data to Collect:
1.
2.
3.
### Timeline:
- Start: [Date]
- End: [Date]
- Go/No-Go Decision: [Date]
Step 4: Conduct Customer Discovery Interviews
## Customer Discovery Interview Framework
### PHASE 1: Problem Discovery (First 5-10 interviews)
Goal: Understand the problem space, NOT pitch solutions
Interview Structure:
1. Context (5 min): Their role, background, day-to-day
2. Problem Exploration (15 min): Deep dive into the problem area
3. Existing Solutions (5 min): What they use today
4. Impact (5 min): How the problem affects them
5. Wrap-up (5 min): Referrals, next steps
Key Questions:
- "Tell me about your biggest challenge with [area]..."
- "Walk me through the last time you dealt with [problem]..."
- "What solutions have you tried? What worked/didn't work?"
- "How much time/money does this cost you?"
- "If this magically disappeared, what would change?"
DO NOT:
- Pitch your solution
- Ask leading questions
- Talk more than 30% of the time
- Ask "would you use/pay for..."
### PHASE 2: Solution Discovery (Next 5-10 interviews)
Goal: Test if your solution addresses validated problems
Only proceed to Phase 2 if:
- [ ] You've talked to 10+ potential customers
- [ ] Clear problem patterns emerged
- [ ] Problems are severe and frequent enough
- [ ] Customers are actively seeking solutions
Solution Interview Structure:
1. Recap (3 min): Confirm the problem you heard
2. Solution Demo (10 min): Show concept/prototype
3. Reaction (10 min): Their honest feedback
4. Commitment (5 min): Would they try/buy/refer?
Key Questions:
- "Does this solve the problem you described?"
- "What's missing?"
- "What would you pay for this?"
- "Would you be willing to pilot this?"
- "Who else should see this?"
Step 5: Evaluate Results and Decide
## Customer Discovery Scorecard
### Problem Validation
Criteria Threshold Your Result Pass?
---------- ----------- ------------- -------
# of interviews completed 10+ Y/N
% who confirmed the problem unprompted 70%+ Y/N
Problem severity (1-10 avg) 7+ Y/N
Already spending money on solutions 50%+ Y/N
Actively seeking alternatives 30%+ Y/N
Problem Validated: All Y → Proceed to Solution Validation
Problem NOT Validated: Any N → Pivot or dig deeper
### Solution Validation
Criteria Threshold Your Result Pass?
---------- ----------- ------------- -------
# of solution interviews 10+ Y/N
Said "this solves my problem" 70%+ Y/N
Willing to try/pilot 50%+ Y/N
Willing to pay (some amount) 30%+ Y/N
Gave commitment (deposit, LOI, intro) 3+ people Y/N
Solution Validated: All Y → Proceed to MVP
Solution NOT Validated: Any N → Iterate or pivot
### Decision Framework
IF Problem NOT Validated:
→ PIVOT: Different customer segment?
→ PIVOT: Different problem?
→ STOP: No market here?
IF Problem Validated BUT Solution NOT Validated:
→ ITERATE: Different solution to same problem
→ ITERATE: Different features/approach
IF Both Validated:
→ BUILD: Minimum Viable Product
→ SELL: Pre-sales before building
Step 6: Document Learnings and Update Hypotheses
## Customer Discovery Learning Log
### Round [#] Summary
Dates: [Start] - [End]
Interviews Conducted: [#]
Customer Segments Covered: [List]
### Validated Hypotheses ✅
Hypothesis Evidence Confidence Now
------------ ---------- ----------------
[H1] [Quotes/Data] High
### Invalidated Hypotheses ❌
Hypothesis Evidence Next Step
------------ ---------- -----------
[H2] [Quotes/Data] Pivot to...
### Surprises / New Insights 🔍
Insight Implication
--------- -------------
[Learning] [What this means]
### Updated Business Model
[What changed based on learnings]
### Next Validation Round
Hypothesis to Test Experiment Timeline
-------------------- ------------ ----------
[H3] [Method] [Dates]
Examples
Example 1: B2B SaaS - HR Tech Startup
Context:
Founder believes mid-size companies need better employee onboarding software.
Input:
"I want to build HR onboarding software for mid-size companies. Help me set up Customer Discovery."
Output:
Business Model Hypotheses:
#
Hypothesis
Risk if Wrong
Priority
C1
HR managers at 100-500 employee companies manage onboarding
Fatal
P1
C2
Current onboarding is manual, time-consuming (5+ hrs/new hire)
Fatal
P1
C3
Poor onboarding causes turnover they care about
Fatal
P1
V1
Automated workflows would save 3+ hours per new hire
Major
P2
V2
They'd pay $50-100/employee/month for this
Major
P2
H1
We can reach HR managers through LinkedIn
Minor
P3
P1 Validation Plan:
Experiment 1: Problem Discovery
Target: 15 HR managers at 100-500 employee companies
Method: 30-minute phone interviews
Questions:
"Walk me through what happens when you hire someone..."
"What's the biggest headache in that process?"
"How much time does onboarding take per new hire?"
"What tools are you using today?"
"What's the cost when onboarding goes poorly?"
Success Criteria:
Validated if: 10+ of 15 describe manual, time-consuming process; 8+ mention specific pain points
Invalidated if: Most say "onboarding is fine" or <4 hours per hire
Sample Interview Guide:
Opening: "I'm researching how mid-size companies handle employee onboarding.
Not selling anything - just learning. Mind if I ask some questions?"
Problem Exploration:
1. "When you hired your last employee, walk me through the onboarding process..."
2. "What took the most time?"
3. "Where do things typically go wrong?"
4. "Tell me about a time onboarding didn't go well..."
Current State:
5. "What tools or systems are you using for this?"
6. "What do you like about your current process?"
7. "What's frustrating about it?"
Impact:
8. "How does onboarding quality affect employee retention?"
9. "If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?"
Close:
10. "Who else should I talk to about this?"
11. "Can I follow up in a few weeks to share what I'm learning?"
Example 2: Consumer App - Fitness
Context:
Founder wants to build a fitness app for busy parents.
Input:
"I did 12 customer discovery interviews. Here's my summary. Evaluate my progress."
Interview Summary:
12 interviews with working parents, ages 30-45
10/12 said they want to exercise more
8/12 said lack of time is the main barrier
6/12 have tried fitness apps before
Only 2/12 are currently paying for any fitness solution
4/12 said they'd "probably" use a new app
Output:
Customer Discovery Evaluation:
Criteria
Threshold
Your Result
Pass?
Interviews completed
10+
12
✅
Problem confirmed unprompted
70%+
83% (10/12)
✅
Problem severity
7+
Unknown
⚠️
Spending on solutions
50%+
17% (2/12)
❌
Actively seeking alternatives
30%+
Unknown
⚠️
Analysis:
Good Signs:
Strong problem confirmation (want to exercise, no time)
Consistent pattern across interviews
Warning Signs:
Only 17% paying for anything (low willingness to pay)
"Probably use" is weak signal (opinions, not commitment)
6 tried apps, only 2 still paying (high churn)
Missing Data:
How severe is the pain? (scale 1-10)
What have they tried recently?
What would they pay? (past behavior, not predictions)
Diagnosis:
Problem validated, but MARKET not validated.
The problem is real (busy parents want to exercise). But evidence suggests:
People SAY they want this but don't PAY for it
High awareness but low conversion/retention
"Nice to have" not "must have"
Recommendation: Go Deeper Before Building
Next 5 interviews, focus on:
"Tell me about a fitness product you actually paid for and kept using..."
"What made you stop using [previous app]?"
"What's different about the 2 of you who are paying now vs. when you weren't?"
"If I told you this app costs $20/month, what's your reaction?"
"What would make fitness a MUST instead of NICE TO HAVE?"
Decision:
Do not build yet. Either find a more acute pain point within this segment, or find a segment that demonstrates stronger buying behavior.
Example 3: Pivot Decision
Context:
Founder validated problem but solution bombed.
Input:
"Problem validated: Small business owners hate bookkeeping. But when I showed my automated bookkeeping tool, response was lukewarm. 3 of 10 were excited. Should I pivot?"
Output:
Situation Analysis:
Phase
Result
Problem Discovery
✅ Validated
Solution Discovery
❌ Failed (30% < 70% threshold)
Questions Before Pivoting:
Who were the 3 excited customers?
What made them different?
Same problem, different intensity?
Different sub-segment?
Why were 7 NOT excited?
Wrong solution to right problem?
Right solution, wrong positioning?
Problem not severe enough for them?
Already have adequate solution?
What specifically was lukewarm?
"Too complex"
"Already have something"
"Doesn't solve my real problem"
"Price too high"
Pivot Decision Framework:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SOLUTION FAILED │
│ │
│ Is the problem still validated? │
│ └── YES → Solution Pivot (keep problem, change solution)│
│ │
│ Were some customers excited? │
│ └── YES → Segment Pivot (narrow to excited segment) │
│ │
│ Did feedback suggest different problem? │
│ └── YES → Problem Pivot (keep customer, find new problem)│
│ │
│ Is there any signal at all? │
│ └── NO → Consider stopping or major pivot │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Recommended Next Steps:
Interview the 3 excited customers deeply
What specifically excited them?
What would they pay?
Would they commit to pilot?
Understand the 7 "no"s
What would have made them excited?
What are they using instead?
Consider these pivots:
Segment Pivot:
Target the excited segment only
Solution Pivot:
Same problem, different solution (maybe simpler?)
Channel Pivot:
Same solution, different delivery
Before building anything:
Get 3 paying pilots or LOIs
"I'll build this if you prepay $X"
Checklists & Templates
Customer Discovery Readiness Checklist
## Before Starting Customer Discovery
### Preparation
- [ ] Business Model Canvas hypotheses documented
- [ ] P1 hypotheses identified (highest risk)
- [ ] Target customer segment defined
- [ ] Interview questions drafted
- [ ] 15+ potential interviews scheduled
### Mindset
- [ ] Committed to learning, not selling
- [ ] Ready to hear "your idea is wrong"
- [ ] Willing to pivot based on evidence
- [ ] No code written yet (or willing to throw away)
### Resources
- [ ] 2-4 weeks allocated for discovery
- [ ] Note-taking system ready
- [ ] Team aligned on validation criteria
Interview Tracking Template
## Customer Discovery Interview Log
# Date Name Company
--- ------ ------ ---------
1
2
3
### Running Totals
- Interviews completed: __/15
- Problem confirmed: __%
- Solution fit (if applicable): __%
- Commitments received: __
Go/No-Go Decision Template
## Customer Discovery Decision Point
Date: ___
Total Interviews: ___
Hypothesis Being Tested: _________
### Evidence Summary
Metric Target Actual Pass?
-------- -------- -------- -------
Problem confirmation rate 70%+
Average severity score 7+/10
Currently paying for alternatives 50%+
Solution fit (if tested) 70%+
Concrete commitments 3+
### Strongest Evidence FOR:
1.
2.
3.
### Strongest Evidence AGAINST:
1.
2.
3.
### Decision
- [ ] PROCEED: Build MVP / Start selling
- [ ] ITERATE: More interviews needed, adjust approach
- [ ] PIVOT: Change [customer/problem/solution]
- [ ] STOP: No viable market here
### If Proceeding, Next Steps:
1.
2.
3.
### If Pivoting, New Hypothesis:
Skill Boundaries
What This Skill Does Well
Structuring persuasive content
Applying copywriting frameworks
Creating draft variations
Analyzing competitor approaches
What This Skill Cannot Do
Guarantee conversion rates
Replace brand voice development
Know your specific audience
Make final approval decisions
References
Blank, Steve. "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" (2005) - Original methodology
Blank, Steve & Dorf, Bob. "The Startup Owner's Manual" (2012) - Expanded playbook
Ries, Eric. "The Lean Startup" (2011) - Build-Measure-Learn context
Fitzpatrick, Rob. "The Mom Test" (2013) - Interview techniques
Osterwalder, Alex. "Business Model Generation" (2010) - BMC framework
Maurya, Ash. "Running Lean" (2012) - Lean Canvas approach
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