Authored by Taonga Grace Banda-Chizyuka, BongoHive Manager – Innovation Consulting

When diving into product discovery, innovators and product managers often face a classic conundrum: should the journey begin with identifying a pressing problem or by understanding the user persona? Each approach plays a critical role in shaping successful products, but striking the right balance can unlock truly transformative solutions.

Prioritising the Problem

The problem-first approach champions the identification of key issues within a specific domain before anything else. This method focuses on uncovering inefficiencies, unmet needs, or user frustrations and then seeks to develop solutions that address these issues directly.

Historical Success Stories
Consider Henry Ford’s revolution with the automobile. He didn’t just invent a faster horse; he addressed the fundamental problems of transportation efficiency and accessibility. Similarly, Airbnb tackled the issue of scarce affordable lodging, redefining hospitality in the process.

Advantages of Starting with the Problem:

• Minimises Bias: By focusing on the problem itself, teams can avoid being swayed by existing assumptions about potential users.
• Encourages Creativity: A well-defined problem can inspire a wide range of solutions, fostering innovative thinking.
• Ensures Market Relevance: Solutions that address genuine pain points are more likely to meet actual market needs and demand.

The Drawback:
Without a deep understanding of the user, solutions may fall short in usability or desirability, potentially leading to poor market fit.

Emphasising the User Persona

Conversely, some experts argue that successful product development should start with a deep dive into the lives of potential users. This persona-first approach builds a comprehensive profile of the target audience including their behaviours, preferences, and pain points.

Case in Point: Duolingo
The language-learning app Duolingo excels because it was crafted around the needs and habits of its users, ranging from busy professionals to curious students, resulting in an engaging and addictive educational experience.

Benefits of Persona-First Strategy:

• Human-Centred Solutions: Products designed with a clear understanding of the user ensure a more resonant and engaging user experience.
• Reduces Risk: Knowledge of the user guides resource allocation towards features that significantly enhance user satisfaction.
• Builds Loyalty: Products that resonate on a personal level tend to foster a deeper emotional connection with users.

Potential Pitfall:
Overemphasis on detailed personas might lead to designing for hypothetical needs that don’t address more significant systemic issues.

Integrating Both Approaches

In practice, the most effective strategy in product discovery involves a dynamic interplay between understanding the problem and knowing the user. Here’s how to integrate both:

1. Initiate with a Hypothesis: Start with either a suspected problem or a potential user group.
2. Validate with Research: Use tools like interviews, surveys, and observations to validate the initial assumptions. Understand the real issues and who is affected by them.
3. Iteratively Refine: Adjust your understanding of both the problem and the user based on research insights.
4. Prototype and Test: Develop prototypes and test them with actual users to ensure the solution is both effective and desirable.

The Takeaway
Product discovery is not about choosing between focusing on the problem or the user; it’s about leveraging both to create impactful solutions. As David Kelley puts it, “Fail faster to succeed sooner.” Whether you start with the problem or the persona, maintaining curiosity, conducting frequent validations, and staying adaptable are key to success.

Ultimately, the goal of product discovery is to create products that not only solve problems but also enrich the lives of the users. Embracing both the problem and the user persona in your process ensures that your solutions are both innovative and deeply connected to user needs.