How

Arrange meetings with potential users and customers and go through the following 4 steps:

1. Perceived problem - describe the problem you think you have identified and the way you perceive it.
2. Existing solutions - summarize the most important existing solutions in the market and how they solve the same problem. Existing solutions are not necessarily the same type of solution, but the best current alternatives to solve the problem.
3. Own solution - present how you intend to solve the problem yourself. Not necessarily with a visualisation if you don't have it yet. A verbal description of your overall idea will be fine at this point.
4. Ask for other leads - who might be interested in the solution. It is partly a test of whether other topics exist, but also of whether the customer is so enthusiastic that one will pass on the names of others.

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Elaborate manual for Problem Test

Preparation

Prepare a problem presentation

Before you meet with a customer or user you should prepare a Problem Presentation. A problem presentation has 4 steps:

1. Perceived problem - describe the problem you think you have identified and the way you perceive it.
2. Existing solutions - summarize the most important existing solutions in the market and how they solve the same problem. Existing solutions are not necessarily the same type of solution, but the best current alternatives to solve the problem.
3. Own solution - present how you intend to solve the problem yourself. Not necessarily with a visualisation if you don't have it yet. A verbal description of your overall idea will be fine at this point.
4. Ask for other leads - who might be interested in the solution. It is partly a test of whether other topics exist, but also of whether the customer is so enthusiastic that one will pass on the names of others.

Remember that the word "presentation" does not automatically mean PowerPoint.

Three key answers

Define the three most important things to find out during the customer meeting. What do you want to prove or disprove?

This will help you stay focused as the conversation wanders.

Problem interview

Be at least two people doing the interview. It is very demanding both to conduct interviews, to record answers and to be aware of the customer's body language and other unsaid signals.

Let one person focus on the interview while the other focuses on listening and observing. Listening and observing could even be shared between two people.

Don't sound like you're trying to sell something. If you do, the customer may become defensive and less honest.

But in the end, try to get the customer to commit to something - at least if the customer has been positive about your solution. It may just be a request for a new meeting when your solution is more ready for display.

Asking the customer to commit to something is a test of whether they mean, what they say.

Key Questions and steps

Problem:

• Describe the problem as you see it.
• What is the customers reaction? Does he see it the same way? Or even as a problem.
• Importance: What does the problem mean to the customer? Are there any related problems?
• How is the customer solving - or trying to solve - the problem today?

Solution:

• What is the customer's immediate reaction to our idea?
• What are the critical features and functions?
• What are the barriers? What may prevent the customer from buying?
• How would the customers life be different with this solution?
• Whom else does the customer know, who might want a solutions like this?

Business Model:

• At what price would it be too expensive? At what price would it be suspiciously cheap?
• Where would the customer prefer to read about the product?
• Where would he prefer to buy it?