/customer-discovery

name: customer-discovery
description: "Systematically validate your business hypotheses before building anything. Master Steve Blank's Customer Development methodology that became the foundation of Lean Startup and YC's approach. Use when: **Starting a new venture** to avoid building something nobody wants; **Before writing a line of code** to validate problem-solution fit; **Pivoting decisions** to systematically test new directions; **Early-stage fundraising** to prove market validation; **Product roadmap planning** to prioritiz..."
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: ClawFu
  version: 1.0.0
  mcp-server: "@clawfu/mcp-skills"

Customer Discovery

> Systematically validate your business hypotheses before building anything. Master Steve Blank's Customer Development methodology that became the foundation of Lean Startup and YC's approach.

When to Use This Skill

• **Starting a new venture** to avoid building something nobody wants
• **Before writing a line of code** to validate problem-solution fit
• **Pivoting decisions** to systematically test new directions
• **Early-stage fundraising** to prove market validation
• **Product roadmap planning** to prioritize based on validated customer needs
• **Entering new markets** to understand unfamiliar customer segments

Methodology Foundation

| Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | **Source** | Steve Blank - "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" (2005) | | **Core Principle** | "No business plan survives first contact with customers. Get out of the building." | | **Why This Matters** | Startups fail because they build products nobody wants. Customer Discovery replaces guessing with systematic learning before you run out of money. |

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Structures content frameworks | Final messaging | | Suggests persuasion techniques | Brand voice | | Creates draft variations | Version selection | | Identifies optimization opportunities | Publication timing | | Analyzes competitor approaches | Strategic direction |

What This Skill Does

1. **Documents business hypotheses** - Turns assumptions into testable statements 2. **Designs validation experiments** - Creates tests that can prove you wrong 3. **Structures customer conversations** - Gets real insights, not false positives 4. **Evaluates problem-solution fit** - Determines if you should proceed, pivot, or stop 5. **Creates learning roadmap** - Prioritizes what to validate first 6. **Tracks validation progress** - Maintains evidence-based decision making

How to Use

Start Customer Discovery for a New Idea

I'm starting customer discovery for [business idea].
Help me document my hypotheses and design validation experiments.
Use Steve Blank's Customer Development methodology.

Evaluate Customer Discovery Progress

Here's what I've learned from [X] customer interviews: [summary]
Evaluate my progress against Customer Discovery criteria.
Should I proceed, pivot, or go back to more interviews?

Design a Validation Experiment

I need to validate this hypothesis: [hypothesis]
Design a Customer Discovery experiment to test it.
What would prove it true? What would prove it false?

Instructions

When helping with Customer Discovery, follow Steve Blank's systematic approach:

Step 1: Document Your Business Model Hypotheses

## Business Model Canvas Hypotheses

Before talking to customers, document what you BELIEVE to be true.
These are GUESSES until validated.

### Customer Hypotheses
| # | Hypothesis | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|------------|------------|----------|
| C1 | Our target customer is [WHO] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| C2 | They have this problem: [WHAT] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| C3 | The problem is severe because [WHY] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| C4 | They currently solve it by [HOW] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |

### Value Proposition Hypotheses
| # | Hypothesis | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|------------|------------|----------|
| V1 | Our solution provides [BENEFIT] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| V2 | Customers care about [FEATURE/OUTCOME] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| V3 | We're differentiated by [UNIQUE VALUE] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |

### Channel Hypotheses
| # | Hypothesis | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|------------|------------|----------|
| H1 | We can reach customers through [CHANNEL] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| H2 | Customer acquisition will cost [ESTIMATE] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |

### Revenue Hypotheses
| # | Hypothesis | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|------------|------------|----------|
| R1 | Customers will pay [PRICE] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| R2 | Revenue model: [TYPE] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |
| R3 | Lifetime value: [ESTIMATE] | Low/Med/High | [None yet] |

**Critical Rule:** You don't have a business until these hypotheses are validated with real evidence from real customers.

---

Step 2: Prioritize What to Validate First

## Hypothesis Prioritization Matrix

Prioritize by RISK and IMPACT:

| Hypothesis | If WRONG, Impact | Current Confidence | Priority |
|------------|------------------|-------------------|----------|
| [H1] | Fatal/Major/Minor | Low/Med/High | P1/P2/P3 |
| [H2] | Fatal/Major/Minor | Low/Med/High | P1/P2/P3 |

### Priority Rules:
- P1: Fatal if wrong + Low confidence → Validate FIRST
- P2: Major if wrong + Low/Med confidence → Validate SOON
- P3: Minor if wrong OR High confidence → Validate LATER

### Your P1 Hypotheses (Validate These First):
1. ________________________________
2. ________________________________
3. ________________________________

These are your "leap of faith" assumptions.

---

Step 3: Design Validation Experiments

## Experiment Design Template

### Hypothesis Being Tested:
"We believe [CUSTOMER SEGMENT] has [PROBLEM] and would [BEHAVIOR]."

### Experiment Type:
- [ ] Customer Interviews (Problem Discovery)
- [ ] Solution In