Introduction

Making a product isn't just about building it. The best teams also figure out what to build-and they do it by talking to real users.

What's the problem it solves?

Many companies make products without truly knowing what their users need. This article explains how to avoid building the wrong things by using a better, ongoing method for deciding what to build-one that includes the customer in the process.

Quick Summary

Product discovery means figuring out what to build before you start building. Instead of just guessing or letting leaders decide everything, teams should talk to customers often and test ideas early. This helps avoid mistakes and leads to products people actually want to use.

Most companies still work in “projects”-they plan what to build at the start of the year, do research once, and then move forward. But digital products are never really finished. The best teams update their products all the time. So they don’t just do one round of research and stop. They stay in touch with customers every week to make better choices. This approach is called continuous discovery.

Continuous discovery starts with a clear goal. Then the team looks for customer problems (called opportunities), then comes up with possible solutions. These are tested quickly with small experiments before anyone writes code. The whole team-product managers, designers, and engineers-works together on this, not separately.

Key Takeaways from the Article

• Product discovery is about figuring out what to build before building it.
• Most teams still work in a “project mode” and don’t involve users enough.
• Great teams talk to customers every week and adjust based on what they learn.
• Good discovery starts with a clear goal, finds real user problems, then looks for the right solution.
• You don’t need big tests-you can check ideas fast with small, focused tests.
• A group called the “product trio” (PM, designer, engineer) leads the discovery process.
• The best teams work together and don’t make decisions alone.
• Digital products are always changing, so discovery should never stop.
• Talking to users often helps teams avoid mistakes and build better stuff.
• Discovery isn’t complicated-but it takes effort and the right habits.

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