Discovery Process
The discovery process is the structured approach teams use to make decisions about what to build. Good product discovery has a simple underlying structure: start with an outcome, discover opportunities, discover solutions.
Why is the discovery process messy?
Simple, however, does not mean easy. Discovery is a messy learning process with many twists, turns, and dead-ends that teams work through iteratively. It can be challenging to keep leadership and key stakeholders informed along the way.
The discovery process is nonlinear. Teams shouldn't be afraid to jump back and forth between different steps of the process. The point is not to lock things in stone and never look at them again, but to go back and revisit as teams learn more and have new ideas. There's going to be a lot of going back to previous steps, iterating, going forward, going back—and that all helps make sure that when teams get to the end of the process, they've truly validated what they want to move forward with.
What are the two key activities in product discovery?
Good product discovery teams engage in two key activities week over week: customer interviewing and assumption testing. Interviewing helps teams discover opportunities and assumption testing helps teams discover solutions.
Teams stop regularly to take stock of multiple data points from research activities to make informed decisions rather than guesses.
Learn more:
- Product Discovery Basics: Everything You Need to Know
- Customer Interviews: How to Recruit, What to Ask, and How to Synthesize What You Learn
- Assumption Testing: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
Related terms:
- Discovery
- Continuous Discovery
- Customer Interviewing
- Assumption Testing
Last Updated: October 25, 2025