Market Research and Customer Discovery
Domain 7: Market Research and Customer Discovery
This domain tests how you learn about customers before building. Expect questions on primary and secondary research, qualitative and quantitative data, sampling, interviewing, and testing assumptions.
Core rules
- Primary research is data you collect (surveys, interviews, observation, tests). Secondary research is existing data (reports, statistics, competitor analysis).
- Qualitative data explains why and how; quantitative data measures how many or how much. Strong discovery uses both.
- Ask about behavior, not hypotheticals. “What did you do last time you needed a gift?” beats “Would you buy this?” Hypothetical yes is weak evidence.
- Avoid leading and double-barreled questions. “How much would you pay for a locally made, eco-friendly, customizable mug?” mixes several variables.
- Sampling matters. Friends are convenient but biased. Define your segment and try to reach people outside your circle.
- Customer discovery tools: interviews, observation, surveys, landing-page tests, pre-orders, and small pilots. Record consent and protect privacy.
- A persona summarizes a segment’s goals, frustrations, and buying context; it is a tool, not a real customer.
Worked example
A student plans a teen art workshop. Instead of asking “Would you come?”, they interview 10 teens and 5 parents about weekend schedules, past activities, and what they paid. They learn teens care about friends and portfolio help; parents care about safety and price. A survey of 60 people tests two price points. The workshop pilots one session at the lower price with a waitlist. Reasoning: interviews reveal motivations, the survey measures demand, and the pilot tests real commitment.
Traps that cost marks
- Asking leading or hypothetical questions.
- Surveying only friends and calling it market research.
- Confusing interest with willingness to pay.
- Ignoring non-customers and competitors.
- Collecting data without consent or a recording system.