1. Foundations

We have an idea, now we need to understand who our users are and what they think are the critical problems to be solved. This analysis will inform how we position the product in the market.

How will we know we are ready to move on to the next phase?

Exit Tollgate

We understand who our users are and what problems matter most.

Tollgate Decisions

We can identify and prioritize who our target users are.
We can clearly explain the core problems to be solved.
We have confidence that the problems are real and painful.
We understand where our product can differentiate itself from our competitors.
We have alignment on our foundational strategies.

Decision

PERSEVERE We have passed all tollgate decisions and have ample understanding of our users, their problems, where we fit, and who we are.

Persona Hypotheses

Analyze potential user segmentation and build personas that will allow us to test my demand hypothesis.

Key Questions

What are potential demographics that affect segmentation? Why?
Who specifically are the ideal user personas?
What specifically are their problems? Alternatives?

Decision

PERSEVERE We have confirmed that there are specific market segmentations that could be targeted, specifically avid readers along with authors and publishers. There are enough jobs-to-be-done that aligned with our problem hypotheses to continue.

Problem Hypotheses

Identify the core problems in the current ecosystem to create a focused problem statement.

Key Questions

What is the problem to be solved?
What is missing from the existing experiences today?
How do users feel?

Decision

PERSEVERE There is enough evidence to determine that the stated problems do exist. We will move forward to the next phase to determine if there are actual users to back up the assumptions in the problem hypotheses.