1. User Discovery and Desk Research

• Definition: The process of gathering insights about potential users and their workflows, pain points, and motivations through interviews, surveys, and secondary research.
• Information needed:
  • User personas (roles, context, goals).
  • Common activities, pain points and challenges (JTBD).
  • How users currently solve these problems (tools and dependencies)
• Steps to follow:
  1. Identify and analyse scenarios 10 years from now on the future of work and collaboration Institute for the Future + Strategic Foresight Frameworks)
  2. Conduct 5–10 exploratory interviews per potential target customer.
  3. Map user journey and highlight friction points.
  4. Collect secondary data (industry reports, case studies).
  5. Summarize into a matrix: “what we know/what we don’t know/Signals/Uncertainties.”

2. Synthesis into Problem Areas (JTBD / Ecosystem Map)

• Definition: Defining problems through a Jobs To Be Done lens and mapping them into an ecosystem view (actors, processes, and interdependencies).
• Information needed:
  • JTBD statements (e.g., When I ___, I want to ___, so I can ___).
  • Ecosystem map: stakeholders, workflows, bottlenecks.
  • Signals & uncertainties (Foresight): early changes or unknowns that could amplify/reduce the pain for the user and impact the ecosystem map
• Steps to follow:
  1. Translate desk research and interview findings into JTBD statements.
  2. Create an ontology (taxonomy of problems, needs, actors).
  3. Overlay foresight signals -> For each problem area, ask: What weak signals or macro trends could make this problem bigger/smaller in 3–5 years?
  4. Prioritize problems by frequency + intensity.

3. Brainstorm PMF Hypotheses

• Definition: Early guesses about potential product–market fit by pairing JTBD problems with solution sketches.
• Information needed:
  • Clear hypotheses: “If users face X, then a solution that does Y will be valuable.”
  • Assumptions that need validation (pricing, usability, market size).
• Steps to follow:
  1. Write 3–5 short PMF hypotheses.
  2. Align team on what success would look like if the hypothesis is true.
  3. Flag critical assumptions for testing.

4. Desk Research (AI + Competitive Market) + Quick Feedback

• Definition: Scanning the landscape (who else is solving this, with what methods) and stress-testing hypotheses with potential users.
• Information needed:
  • Competitor features, business models, gaps.
  • Macro trends (AI regulation, adoption, adjacent markets).
  • Early user reactions to hypothesis pitches.
• Steps to follow:
  1. Map competitors and compare differentiation.
  2. Collect 3–5 user reactions (even informal chats).
  3. Write an Opportunity Brief: what problem, why now, and how big.

5. EiR (Entrepreneurs in Residence)

• Definition: Recruiting founders/operators to test and shape solutions based on validated opportunities.
• Information needed:
  • Profiles of potential EiRs (domain knowledge + builder mindset).
  • Alignment on problem/solution fit.