A Sprint is not just about delivery. A big part of each Sprint is about discovery, learning, de-risking, validation, refinement, and prepping for future Sprints. Below are some discovery and validation techniques that help elicit user needs, validate ideas, and test out hypotheses to help ensure product/market fit.
1. Surveys
Surveys provide a quick and relatively inexpensive way to gather a lot of data and validate initial assumptions or hypotheses. Following up on survey results is difficult as they are typically done asynchronously and anonymously.
2. Interviews
Gathering data via Interviews is slower than surveys, however, interviews allow for deep discussions and follow-up on initial answers to validate or invalidate a hypothesis. For tips on interviewing, check out these Top 5 Customer Interview Rules.
3. Observation
Observation involves watching how a customer currently accomplishes a task and mapping out the process to determine how the solution can make the process better.
4. Job Shadowing
Job shadowing is a more intensive form of observation where we observe customers in a work setting for an entire day or week to get a better idea of their day to day activities.
5. Process Analysis
Process analysis is the mapping out of the process or workflow and figuring out the steps a user goes through from start to finish to then figure out how the product can make that better.
6. Interface Analysis
Interface analysis is analyzing and determining the touch points between the customer and the product or between one application and another application.
7. Prototyping
Prototyping is about building a quick light-weight solution. It can be on paper, a brochure, a video demonstration, or just a clickable front-end user interface to give customers a better sense of the solution before building it.
8. Usability Testing
Usability testing is about ensuring that the user can go from point A to point B without getting stuck. Customer easily understand what to do and what to do next as they use the application. Usability testing can be done early on with a prototype as well as later as the application features are built.
9. A/B Testing
A/B testing is used when the team is not sure about or conflicted between two possible solutions. It involves having 2 versions of the same product out at the same time, with one difference between the two. The users do not know that there are 2 versions. The difference can be between 2 different algorithms or a UI change. Based on which version tests better, one is dropped and the team keeps building on the other version.
10. Wizard of Oz
With A Wizard of Oz, customers believe that they are interacting with a real product, but in reality, what the customers are interacting with is just a facade. Behind the facade is a human or a wizard doing all the heavy lifting manually, making the application appear to function seamlessly.
Start using these techniques to illicit and validate product ideas to ensure you are addressing your customer’s needs and learn more about these discovery techniques in the Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO Certification).