The Startup Survival Guide: Don't Put the Solution Before the Problem

Recently, I was approached by a fellow entrepreneur to participate in a multiple choice, online survey about their upcoming product. The survey was designed to gather feedback from at least a half-dozen different types of potential users and was aimed at gauging the perceived usefulness of the product for each of these user groups.

This got me thinking about user interactions- something that's been on my mind more than ever lately. It's a process I've gone through (and continue to go through!) in preparation for development and launch of my company, it's a key concept addressed in the product management course I'm currently enrolled in at Stanford, and it's a frequent topic of conversation amongst early startup founders. Why all the buzz? Because it's absolutely essential to startup success.

While I'm certainly not an expert, I've learned a lot over the past year and I'll do my best to share some highlights here. Please feel free to add your insights and experiences in the comments below!

The Temptation to Focus on the Solution First

As a startup founder, it's easy to get carried away with the thrill of creating a new solution and quickly bringing it to market. Unfortunately, this approach can lead to some (expensive!) problems further down the line.

Here are a few reasons why focusing on a solution first could be a mistake:

1. The risk of not actually solving the problem: When you concentrate on a solution first, you risk creating something that may not actually address the underlying issue it was designed for. This can be a costly mistake, as you may end up investing valuable time and resources into something that doesn't resolve the problem or meet the needs of your target market.
2. Missed opportunities: By focusing solely on a solution, you may overlook other potential solutions or miss important opportunities to better understand and meet the needs of your target market.
3. Lack of user validation: Developing a solution without first gaining a clear understanding of the problem can lead to a lack of user validation. This can result in a product that doesn't meet the expectations of your target market, leading to low adoption rates and a lack of profitability.

By first clearly defining the problem and then seeking out a solution you can establish a better understanding of the needs of your target market and can create a solution that addresses their challenges and meets their actual needs.

Avoiding the Quest for Approval

When we pour our hearts and souls into creating something, it’s only natural to become attached to it and to seek out opinions that adore it as much as we do. If what you've made is a painting for your grandmother then there's no harm done, however this approach would do a terrible disservice to your startup because the business value isn't found in praise. Finding different vantage points can help you define a problem and come up with a valuable solution because it makes you question your assumptions and gives you a broader view. This can lead to a more well-rounded understanding of the problem and the market, which can in turn evolve a better solution.

Here are some of the benefits of seeking out opposing viewpoints:

1. Identifying blind spots: When we only seek out opinions that align with our own, it's easy to miss important aspects of the problem. By seeking out opposing viewpoints, we can identify blind spots in our understanding and fill in any gaps.
2. Challenging assumptions: It's natural and too easy to become entrenched in our own beliefs and assumptions. Seeking out opposing viewpoints helps to challenge these assumptions and forces us to re-evaluate our understanding of the problem and the market.
3. Encourages creative thinking: By exposing ourselves to diverse perspectives and ideas, we can broaden our thinking and come up with more creative and innovative solutions. This is one of the reasons why companies with increased diversity are more successful!
4. Increases the chances of success: By gathering a more well-rounded understanding of the problem and the market, we increase the chances of creating a solution that resonates with our target audience and meets their needs.

It's challenging yet essential to avoid making assumptions about who might find our products useful. Asking someone who doesn't belong to our target demographic about their opinions on our product's potential appeal to another demographic can lead to speculation and unreliable feedback. Instead, directly engaging with our target audience by reaching out to actual millennial parents, for example, if that's the group we're trying to understand. This approach will give more accurate and valuable insights. Always go directly to the source.

Starting with the Problem First: The Key Benefits

1. Validate your Idea: Clearly defining the problem you're trying to solve by talking to actual potential users helps you validate your idea and ensures that your solution addresses a real need in the market. It's tempting to pitch your solution straight away, but your first interactions should be purely about seeing the world from a potential user's perspective.
2. Deep Understanding of Target Market: Speaking to potential users about their problems provides you with a deeper understanding of what they need and what they're looking for in a solution, allowing you to tailor your product specifically to meet their needs.
3. Assess Market Potential & Competition: When you have a clear understanding of the problem, you can also assess the potential size of the market and the competition, helping you make informed decisions about product positioning and pricing strategy.
4. Compelling Story & Value Proposition: Focusing on the problem can help you create a compelling story and value proposition for your product, making it easier to attract customers, partners, and investors later. Humanize your product with examples of how it solves real problems for real people.
5. Continuous Engagement with Target Market: Continuously engaging with your target market helps you stay attuned to their needs and make any necessary adjustments to your product to meet those needs over time.

Starting with the problem is a crucial step for startups because it helps us validate our ideas, understand our target markets, evaluate market potential and competition, create a compelling story and value proposition, and keep in constant contact with our target markets. Don't let the excitement of developing a solution blind you from the importance of starting with the problem and truly listening to your customers.

Pros and Cons of Online Surveys When Talking to Potential Users

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While online surveys can be a useful tool for collecting data and getting feedback from a large number of people (they're quick, cheap, and easy!), they aren't my personal favorite method for conducting initial conversations with potential users. Here's why:

1. Limited engagement: Online surveys are often short and impersonal, and respondents may not feel motivated to provide detailed and thoughtful responses. This can make it difficult to get a full understanding of the problem you're trying to solve. I like the opportunity to get to know my users as people and develop a rapport and ongoing relationship throughout the product lifecycle. I find this challenging to do via a survey.
2. Lack of context: When conducting surveys online, it can be difficult to understand the context and motivations behind a person's responses. This can make it challenging to interpret the results and get a true sense of what people really need and want.
3. Reduced ability to ask follow-up questions: Online surveys typically limit the amount of interaction you can have with respondents. This can make it difficult to ask follow-up questions or clarify responses, which can limit the depth of information you can gather. When interviewing users in person it I sometimes ask "why?" multiple times to get to the heart of what someone is trying to say. I don't get that luxury with a survey.
4. Bias in the sample: Online surveys often rely on self-selected respondents, which can introduce bias into the sample. For example, people who are more likely to take online surveys may not be representative of your target market as a whole. For example, my target audience consists of very busy people, typically high up in their organizations. They're willing to take a quick meeting in person because of the value of relationships, but an online questionnaire isn't going to make their to-do list.

While online surveys are fantastic at getting feedback and gathering information from a large number of people quickly and with little to no expense, they might not be the ideal method to talk to potential users about their problems when first exploring a product for development. For these initial conversations, I prefer more personal and interactive methods, such as in-person interviews or focus groups, which can help establish relationships and get a more complete and accurate understanding of the problem I'm trying to solve.

TL;DR

As a startup founder, avoiding the trap of premature solutioning and prioritizing a clear understanding of the problem is crucial for success. You can validate your solution and make sure it meets a real need in the market by getting different points of view from listening to potential users directly (without pitching them your idea).

By taking this approach, you'll learn more about your target market and be better able to put your product in a position to succeed. So, before you start seeking approval for a brilliant solution, take the time to define the problem, establish relationships with people who might use it, and adjust your approach based on what you learn. Your future self will thank you because you saved them a lot of time and money!

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