Developed by Steve Blank (The Four Steps to the Epiphany, 2005), with later refinements by Eric Ries (2011) and Rob Fitzpatrick (2013).
Tests whether a problem is real and who has it through many interviews about past behavior, patterns across users, and requests for commitment before anything is built.
When to reach for it
Before building a product or service, or when weighing a pivot, and the only evidence so far is people saying they like the idea.
How it runs
- Write the problem as a testable claim about who has it and when.
- Define the target segment by behavior and context.
- Run ten or more interviews about what people actually did.
- Log behavior and commitments; treat compliments as noise.
- Look for patterns across three or more independent users.
- Refine the claim, pivot, or drop it.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- The Four Steps to the Epiphany, 2005
- The Lean Startup, 2011
- The Mom Test, 2013