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This week, UX research expert Jeanette Mellinger shares a framework for finding problem-solution fit, including research methods for deeper customer, team and self-discovery. It’s obvious that for a startup to succeed, it has to match the right problem with the right solution. But what’s not always obvious to founders is whether they’re the right person for the job. Jeanette Mellinger has noticed that founders often miss this crucial piece in the discovery phase. She’s the former Head of UX Research at Uber Eats and BetterUp, and now advises early-stage teams on all things research. “After working with dozens of founders and teams to improve their customer discovery skills, I’ve found that there’s still more work to do beyond solely focusing on the customer as they explore ideas,” she says. “The same tools that can help us get to know our customers can also help us do the essential but often unspoken work of self-discovery, which is just as crucial for building companies that last.” She’s found that today’s founders are missing a step in the race to product-market fit: finding problem-solution fit. “Problem-solution fit is the intersection of who you are as a founder, a burning problem you’re well-suited to solve and a solution that tackles the problem well,” she says. On The Review, she opens up her research toolkit to help founders find that overlap, applying her favorite strategies from UX research and behavioral psychology. She shares: - Why you need stronger problem-solution fit before you hit the market (and even build)
- A three-phase research rhythm to surface richer insights: Incubation, immersion and integration
- A menu of methods to pull from, like developing behavior change models and seeking analogous inspiration in totally unrelated domains
Mellinger understands why today’s founders might get antsy during the discovery phase, worried if they move too slowly some other AI startup will leapfrog them to market. But there’s no need to sacrifice speed for depth with this foundational research. “It’s even easier to speed in the wrong direction really fast with AI,” she says. “I want to help founders build velocity, which is speed in the right direction.” Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing!
-The Review Editors
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