Rene Bastijans
2 min readDec 10, 2020

--

The problem with the MVO and similar experiment methods is that they are trying to assess the viability of a new product offering in isolation and step by step. However, people don't buy products based on seeing an MVO statement (or by reviewing a set of features only).

When shopping for products that they believe will help them achieve their goals, they go through complex processes where they, e.g. attach needs to the product ("what will it allow me to do?"), imagine its use ("what will my life be like when I have and use this product?"), build trust in the product and its producer / brand and assess the price against the value they hope to receive and against whatever other solution they are considering or have used in the past.

When you show them a simple one-liner statement, you are disregarding how people shop for and select products.

To explore the viability of a new product offering, you need to 1. know who your ideal customers are and 2. test the product offering as an entire package that includes the user experience, key features, key messaging (the value proposition, positioning) and pricing.

All this can be done without writing a single line of code, e.g. by using a storyboard and mock-ups and putting those in front of a number of ideal customers.

This research will help you understand how your ideal customers react to the new product offering, calculate its value, talk about it, what objections they have, and what needs (or Jobs to be Done) they associate with it.

Based on the insights from the research, you will then be able to refine messaging and positioning, understand pricing possibilities, and gather info to assess your TAM.

--

--

Rene Bastijans

I help software companies grow by becoming great at creating demand for their products or services. #jtbd #product #marketing #innovation #growth #research