Continuous Discovery Habits
When This Skill Activates
Claude uses this skill when:
- Setting up discovery processes
- Planning weekly user research
- Creating opportunity solution trees
- Testing assumptions
- Building product trio workflows
- Prioritizing discovery activities
Core Frameworks
1. Continuous Discovery Habits (Source: Teresa Torres)
The Core Principle:
"At a minimum, weekly touchpoints with customers by the team building the product, where they conduct small research activities in pursuit of a desired outcome."
The Three Pillars:
- Weekly customer contact by the product trio (PM, designer, engineer)
- Opportunity solution trees to visualize discovery
- Assumption testing before building
Use when: Establishing discovery processes or improving product decisions
2. The Product Trio
The Team:
- Product Manager: Ensures business viability
- Designer: Ensures usability and desirability
- Engineer: Ensures feasibility
Why Together:
"When a designer, engineer, and PM collaborate on discovery, you get better decisions faster. Each brings a unique lens."
How:
- All three participate in customer interviews
- All three analyze research together
- All three generate solutions together
- All three test assumptions together
3. Opportunity Solution Trees
The Structure:
Outcome (top) ↓ Opportunities (customer needs/pain points) ↓ Solutions (possible ways to address) ↓ Assumptions (what needs to be true) ↓ Experiments (how to test)
Use when: Need to visualize the path from outcome to solution
Example:
Outcome: Increase retention to 80% ↓ Opportunity: Users forget to use the product ↓ Solution: Daily email reminder ↓ Assumption: Users check email daily ↓ Experiment: Survey 20 users about email habits
4. Interview Snapshot
The One-Pager: After each interview, create a snapshot capturing:
- Date & Participant: Who and when
- Key Insights: 3-5 main takeaways
- Opportunities: Customer needs/pain points discovered
- Quotes: Verbatim customer language
- Next Steps: What to test or explore next
Why: Keeps learning accessible to the whole team
5. Assumption Testing
The Progression:
Story → Assumptions → Tests → Evidence
Question to Ask:
"What needs to be true for this solution to work?"
Test Types (by risk/cost):
- One-question surveys (lowest risk)
- Customer interviews
- Prototypes/mockups
- Concierge tests (manual behind-the-scenes)
- Wizard of Oz (fake the feature)
- Live data tests (build and measure)
Rule: Test highest-risk assumptions first with lowest-cost method
Decision Trees
Should I Build This Feature?
Do we have a clear outcome? ├─ No → Define outcome first └─ Yes → Have we interviewed 6+ customers? ├─ No → Do discovery first └─ Yes → Have we identified opportunities? ├─ No → Map opportunities └─ Yes → Have we tested key assumptions? ├─ No → Test assumptions first └─ Yes → Build it!
How Should I Test This Assumption?
What's the risk if we're wrong? ├─ Low risk → Build and ship (reversible) └─ High risk → How much does testing cost? ├─ Low cost → Interview 5 users ├─ Medium cost → Prototype test └─ High cost → Still cheaper than building wrong thing
Action Templates
Template: Weekly Discovery Plan
markdown# Weekly Discovery Plan - Week of [Date] ## Outcome We're Pursuing [e.g., Increase activation rate to 50%] ## This Week's Focus **Opportunity:** [Which pain point are we exploring?] **Solution:** [Which solution are we considering?] **Key Assumption:** [What needs to be true?] ## Discovery Activities (Minimum 1 per week) ### Monday-Wednesday: Research - [ ] Interview 1: [Participant profile] - [PM/Designer/Engineer attending] - [ ] Interview 2: [Participant profile] - [PM/Designer/Engineer attending] - [ ] Interview 3: [Participant profile] - [PM/Designer/Engineer attending] ### Thursday: Synthesis - [ ] Product trio synthesis session (30 min) - [ ] Create/update interview snapshots - [ ] Update opportunity solution tree - [ ] Identify new assumptions to test ### Friday: Planning - [ ] Review evidence collected - [ ] Decide: build, test more, or pivot? - [ ] Plan next week's discovery activities ## Interview Snapshots [Link to snapshots folder] ## Opportunity Solution Tree [Link to latest tree]
Template: Interview Snapshot
markdown# Interview Snapshot - [Date] ## Participant - **Name/ID:** [Anonymized if needed] - **Role:** [Job title/persona] - **Context:** [Relevant background] ## Interview Focus [What we were trying to learn] ## Key Insights 1. [First major insight] 2. [Second major insight] 3. [Third major insight] ## Opportunities Discovered - 📍 [Pain point or unmet need #1] - 📍 [Pain point or unmet need #2] - 📍 [Pain point or unmet need #3] ## Memorable Quotes > "[Exact customer words that capture key point]" > "[Another powerful quote]" ## Updated Assumptions - ✅ Validated: [What we confirmed] - ❌ Invalidated: [What we disproved] - ❓ New: [New assumptions to test] ## Next Steps - [ ] [Specific action based on learning] - [ ] [Another action] ## Attending - [PM name] - [Designer name] - [Engineer name]
Template: Opportunity Solution Tree
markdown# Opportunity Solution Tree - [Product/Feature Name] ## Outcome 🎯 **[Business outcome we're driving]** [Specific, measurable, time-bound] --- ## Opportunities (Customer Needs/Pain Points) ### Opportunity 1: [Customer problem] **Evidence:** [3-5 customer interviews, usage data, etc.] **Impact:** [How big is this problem?] #### Solutions Being Considered: 1. **[Solution A]** - Assumptions: - [ ] Assumption 1 - [ ] Assumption 2 - Tests: [How we'll validate] - Status: [Testing/Building/Shipped] 2. **[Solution B]** - Assumptions: - [ ] Assumption 1 - [ ] Assumption 2 - Tests: [How we'll validate] - Status: [Testing/Building/Shipped] ### Opportunity 2: [Another customer problem] **Evidence:** [3-5 customer interviews, usage data, etc.] **Impact:** [How big is this problem?] [Continue for each opportunity...] --- ## Decision Log - **[Date]:** Chose Solution A for Opportunity 1 because [evidence] - **[Date]:** Decided to test Assumption X before building - **[Date]:** Pivoted from Solution B to Solution C based on [learning]
Template: Assumption Test Plan
markdown# Assumption Test Plan - [Feature/Solution Name] ## Solution Statement [Brief description of what we're considering building] ## Key Assumptions ### Assumption 1: [High Risk] **Statement:** [What needs to be true] **If wrong:** [What's the impact?] **Confidence:** [Low/Medium/High] **Test Method:** [Interview/Survey/Prototype/etc.] **Success Criteria:** [What would validate this?] **Timeline:** [When we'll test] **Owner:** [Who's running the test] --- ### Assumption 2: [Medium Risk] **Statement:** [What needs to be true] **If wrong:** [What's the impact?] **Confidence:** [Low/Medium/High] **Test Method:** [Interview/Survey/Prototype/etc.] **Success Criteria:** [What would validate this?] **Timeline:** [When we'll test] **Owner:** [Who's running the test] --- ## Test Results ### Assumption 1 Results **Date Tested:** [Date] **Method Used:** [What we did] **Sample Size:** [How many participants] **Findings:** - [Key finding 1] - [Key finding 2] - [Key finding 3] **Decision:** ✅ Validated / ❌ Invalidated / ❓ Needs more testing **Next Steps:** [What we'll do based on results] --- ### Assumption 2 Results [Same structure as above]
Quick Reference
📅 Weekly Discovery Cadence
Every Week Minimum:
- 3-5 customer touchpoints (interviews, observation, etc.)
- Product trio participates together
- Create interview snapshots
- Update opportunity solution tree
- Test at least 1 assumption
Every Month:
- Review all evidence collected
- Update outcomes if needed
- Celebrate learning (not just building)
🎯 Discovery vs Delivery Balance
Good Discovery Practice:
- ✅ Discovery happens weekly (not just quarterly)
- ✅ Product trio does discovery together
- ✅ Small tests before big builds
- ✅ Evidence-based decisions
- ✅ Comfortable saying "we learned that won't work"
Signs of Insufficient Discovery:
- ❌ Only talking to customers after shipping
- ❌ PM does all research alone
- ❌ Building first, validating later
- ❌ Opinion-based decisions
- ❌ Fear of "wasting time" on research
🌳 Opportunity Solution Tree Checklist
Before Creating:
- Clear outcome defined
- Conducted 6+ customer interviews
- Identified multiple opportunities
When Building Tree:
- Start with ONE outcome (top)
- Map opportunities (not solutions)
- Generate multiple solutions per opportunity
- List assumptions for each solution
- Plan tests for assumptions
Using the Tree:
- Update weekly with new learning
- Share with stakeholders
- Use to explain why you're building what
- Reference when prioritizing work
🧪 Assumption Testing Hierarchy
Test in This Order:
- Desirability - Do customers want this?
- Usability - Can they use it?
- Feasibility - Can we build it?
- Viability - Should we build it?
Use Cheapest Test First:
Interview < Survey < Prototype < Concierge < Build
Real-World Examples
Example: Spotify's Discovery Process
Outcome: Increase music discovery engagement
Opportunity: Users don't know what to listen to
- Evidence: Interviews showed decision fatigue
- Solution considered: Algorithmic playlists
- Assumption: Users trust algorithmic recommendations
- Test: Created Discover Weekly, measured engagement
- Result: Massive success, became core feature
Key Learning: They tested the algorithm assumption before building fancy UX
Example: Netflix's Continue Watching
Outcome: Reduce time to content consumption
Opportunity: Users forget what they were watching
- Evidence: Drop-off analysis + customer interviews
- Solution: "Continue Watching" row
- Assumption: Users want to resume (not restart)
- Test: A/B test with 5% of users
- Result: Validated, rolled to 100%
Key Learning: Small test before full build saved months of work
Common Pitfalls
❌ Discovery Theater
Problem: Doing research but not changing decisions Solution: Explicitly decide what you'll do if assumptions are wrong
❌ Outsourcing Discovery
Problem: PM does research, then "throws it over the wall" Solution: Product trio interviews together
❌ Building Multiple Solutions at Once
Problem: Spreading resources too thin Solution: Test assumptions first, build one at a time
❌ Skipping Discovery "To Move Fast"
Problem: Building wrong thing is slowest path Solution: Small tests are faster than big rebuilds
❌ Only Talking to Happy Customers
Problem: Missing problems and churn reasons Solution: Interview across the spectrum (new, power, churned users)
Key Quotes
Teresa Torres on Weekly Contact:
"If you're not talking to customers every week, you're not doing continuous discovery."
On Product Trios:
"The best product decisions come from diverse perspectives. A PM, designer, and engineer will see different things in the same customer interview."
On Opportunity Solution Trees:
"The tree makes your thinking visible. It shows how you got from an outcome to a solution, which builds stakeholder trust."
On Assumption Testing:
"Don't ask customers what to build. Test assumptions about what will work."
On Discovery vs Delivery:
"Discovery and delivery should happen continuously. Discovery doesn't end when you start building."
Related Skills
Use together with:
- user-feedback-system - For ongoing feedback collection
- jtbd-building - For understanding customer motivations
- exp-driven-dev - For testing assumptions with data
- metrics-frameworks - For defining outcomes
- strategic-build - For deciding what's worth discovering
Comes before:
- zero-to-launch - Discover before building
- design-first-dev - Design based on discovery
Comes after:
- strategy-frameworks - Define strategy, then discover how
Quick Start Guide
Week 1: Set Up Discovery Process
- Form product trio (PM, designer, engineer)
- Define one clear outcome to pursue
- Schedule first 3 customer interviews
- Create interview snapshot template
Week 2: Start Discovery Habit
- Conduct 3 interviews together
- Create interview snapshots
- Begin opportunity solution tree
- Identify opportunities from interviews
Week 3: Map Solutions
- Generate 3+ solutions per opportunity
- List assumptions for each solution
- Prioritize which assumptions to test
- Plan assumption tests
Week 4: Test Assumptions
- Run first assumption tests
- Update opportunity solution tree
- Decide: build, test more, or pivot
- Make discovery routine sustainable
Remember: Continuous discovery isn't a phase. It's a habit. The product trio that talks to customers weekly makes better product decisions.
Guest: Teresa Torres
Book: Continuous Discovery Habits (2021)
Website: producttalk.org
Known for: Opportunity Solution Trees, Product Trios, Weekly Touchpoints
