Different exercises or methods to gain (user) understanding.

User research methods

Gain better understanding of your target audience by creating stereotypes of the different user groups.

Personas

Making a visual map of actions, touchpoints and experiences to create a better understanding of their pains, gains & jobs to spot opportunities.

Journey / Experience Mapping

Exploratory interviews with typical end users to better understand their needs, frustrations and context.

User Interviews

Get a sense of the user/business/technical context.

Understand

Spot opportunities from insights by using a format that forces you to focus on outcome.

How Might We

Kick-off format aimed at creating a shared vision, objectives and measurable goals (KPIs) at the start of a project, so we can manage expectations, align the value prop, strategic themes.

Plant the Flag

Challenge Statements

Different ways to get to a prioritized set of ideas

Prioritisation & decision-making techniques

Determine and align on the challenges and goals.

Define

A (Service) Blueprint looks at interactions on the frontstage and behind the scenes.  It can be used to understand an existing service ('as is'), or shape a new one ('to be').

Service Blueprint

An artefact (e.g. prototype) meant to tell a persuasive story for a future vision.

Visiontyping

Shape a value proposition that meets your audience needs to reach product-market fit

Value Proposition Design

Brainstorming & ideation techniques

Shape

Let users test a prototype to check usability issues and discuss product value.

Usability Interview

Setup, implementation, tracking and recurring (or ad hoc) reviews of relevant product metrics showing acquisition, activation and retention of users.

Product Analytics

Online, asynchronous validation method to run multiple small tests during each sprint

Continuous Usability Test

Different techniques to validate a value prop, the usability, product price points,...

User validation techniques

Seek feedback on the usability, desirability, viability or feasibility of the solution.

Validate

The product roadmap transforms strategic goals into executable plans, guiding the product team and stakeholders by illustrating the projected growth of the product and its impact on their roles.

Roadmap

Turn strategic priorities into a practical plan, guiding the product team and stakeholders by showing potential product growth and its impact on their tasks.

MVP Definition

Document that evaluate the benefits, costs and risks of a project or investment, enabling decision-makers to approve or reject the project / investment proposal

Business Case

Plan

Discovery Toolbox

 — In The Pocket

Lightweight canvas to capture/present the user perspective.

Pains/Gains/Jobs

Value exchange mapping gives you an overview on the exchange of value in (complex) ecosystems.

Ecosystem / Value Mapping

Qualitative research method that asks participants to report themselves on a set of open-ended activities and to detail their attitudes and expectations over a period of time and in the context of the study.

Diary study

Event Storming is a collaborative workshop technique with roots in Domain-driven design.

Event Storming

Format to audit the whole experience of an existing product