Welcome to our 2025 Advent Calendar! Today, December 2nd, we continue our exploration of the behind-the-scenes process of product creation by focusing on the most fundamental step: the Discovery.

Every project begins with a question: What problem are we actually trying to solve?

In a context where businesses are accelerating, where roadmaps are busy and decisions are made quickly, the temptation is strong to rush straight to the solution. But a relevant, useful and effective product relies first and foremost on an often underestimated step: the genuine understanding of the problem — from the users' perspective, but also from the business perspective.

That is precisely the role of the phase of Discovery.

In this article, I share with you a concrete and pragmatic approach to identify needs, prioritize them and lay solid foundations before moving into solution mode.

The problem: the starting point of any product that lasts

Many projects fail not because the solution is bad, but because it addresses… a false problem.

When projects fail, it's almost never because the solution was poorly executed. In most cases, it's the initial problem that was misunderstood. The focus is on an intuition, a symptom, or a stated request, without taking the time to validate the reality of the issue.

Before even designing a feature, it is essential to clarify several elements:

• Who is the user actually concerned and what are they trying to accomplish in a given context?

• Why does this difficulty exist today, and what fuels it?

• What is the concrete impact on the company's activity: loss of conversion, excessive friction, additional operational costs, customer dissatisfaction?

Before prototyping, designing or developing, three questions must be asked:

➤ Who is trying to do what? From the user's perspective: context, motivations, constraints.

➤ Why does this problem exist today? What are the root causes? What are the irritants?

➤ What is hindering business performance? Conversion, retention, internal costs, revenue loss, etc.

Understanding before acting saves time, money… and a lot of frustration.

When these three dimensions—user, context, and business—are aligned, the problem becomes clearer. And a clear problem always paves the way for simpler, more effective solutions that are better accepted by the teams.

Identifying user needs: a 4-step method

The first step is to meet with those who will use the product. This isn't just theory: in practice, we regularly discover that... insights Major insights emerge… simply by observing a user session. Understanding user needs isn't just about collecting feedback or conducting a few interviews. It's about immersing yourself in their reality, observing what they actually do, and grasping the nuances that are lost in spontaneous statements.

Contextual observation

Before listening, you have to watch.

The goal: to understand actual behavior, not declared behavior.

Contextual observation is one of the most powerful tools because it provides access to the truth of how users actually use the system. It's not just about listening to what users say; it's about observing what they do, where they hesitate, and how they overcome obstacles. In practice, this often reveals unexpected behaviors: an unforeseen shortcut, a roundabout way of accessing information, or a point in the process that triggers genuine cognitive fatigue.

These observations often constitute the insights the most valuable, because they make visible what would otherwise have remained implicit.

Concrete examples :

• How does a user search for a product on an e-commerce site?

• What detours or workarounds does he adopt?

• Which part of the journey seems "tiring" or unintuitive?

Qualitative interviews

Next come the interviews. Their role is not to validate a solution or obtain a list of desired features, but to understand the deep goal of the user. We explore what they are trying to achieve and why this goal matters to them.

The best conversations are often those where we allow ourselves to dig deeper, to go back and ask simple but essential questions. Asking "Why?" repeatedly is a remarkably effective tool for uncovering the root cause of a problem, beyond superficial frustrations.

The interview is not a multiple-choice test, it is a guided conversation.

We are looking for:

• frustrations

• expectations

• his underlying motivations (what he REALLY wants to achieve)

• invisible obstacles (lack of confidence, cognitive overload…)

Designer Tip: Always ask "Why?" three times — it's the best way to get to the bottom of the problem.

Data analysis

Quantitative data complements this understanding. They don't tell us... Why users encounter a difficulty, but they show precisely whereAn abnormally high abandonment rate, a page that is systematically ignored, a funnel with a clear breaking point, an internal search that reveals uncovered intentions: each piece of data highlights a point of interest that deserves to be explored.

insights precious things are already hidden in the analytics :

• dropout rate

• pages not viewed

• funnels blockers

• heatmaps

• internal search

The data doesn't say why, but it does say where to look.

Synthesis and reformulation of the need

Once this information is gathered, the challenge is to rephrase it simply. A good user need can be expressed in a single sentence that specifies the person, their context, and their objective. If this sentence remains vague or too general, it's a sign that the understanding isn't yet deep enough.

At this stage, you should be able to formulate a clear need:

"User X, in context Y, wants to accomplish Z, because it allows him to…"

If you can't formulate a simple sentence: the need is not clear.

Identifying business needs: an essential alignment

A product doesn't just serve the users. It must also meet the strategic objectives of the companyIgnoring this aspect often leads to painful trade-offs later in the project.

To properly identify business needs, it's helpful to clarify from the outset what the company is trying to achieve. Is it to improve a key KPI, such as conversion rate or retention? To validate a strategic hypothesis? To reduce an internal cost or optimize a manual process?

These expectations help to anchor the Discovery in operational reality. They also prevent misunderstandings when teams move in different directions.

Beyond the objectives, the constraints These must be clearly defined from the outset: technical constraints, dependencies between teams, budget, deadlines, technical debt. They are not obstacles, but a framework that helps guide choices.

Finding the balance between what matters to the user, what creates business value, and what is technically feasible is the very foundation of Product Thinking.

A product does not exist solely for the user: it must serve the company's strategy.

Understanding the business challenges

Some essential questions:

• Which KPI needs improvement?

• What business hypothesis do we want to validate?

• What cost do we want to reduce?

• What team or management objective does this serve?

Mapping the constraints

They are not an obstacle, they are a framework:

• Technical constraints

• budget, deadlines

• dependencies with other teams

• technical debt

Alignment of issues

We are trying to find the intersection between:

• what is important to the user

• which creates business value

• which is technically feasible

This triangle is the basis of Product Thinking.

Reframing the problem: the key to good alignment

To move forward, everyone must be looking in the same direction. Once the elements are gathered, reformulation becomes an essential exercise. The “Problem statement” allows you to crystallize the key elements in one sentence: the target audience, the context, the problem, its impact and the objective pursued.

This type of sentence plays a fundamental role. It serves as a common reference point, avoids divergent interpretations, and allows all stakeholders to assess whether the proposed solutions are truly relevant. When a problem statements There is a consensus, and the team can move forward knowing that it is working in the right direction.

The simple but formidable tool: the "problem statement"

A single sentence that sums it up:

• the target audience

• the context

• the real problem

• the negative impact (user/business)

• the desired objective

Example:

"Customers searching for a pair of ankle boots on mobile struggle to filter products effectively, leading to frustration and a high abandonment rate. Our goal is to simplify this step to facilitate decision-making and increase conversion."

If this sentence is agreed upon = you can move on to the solution.

The ideation workshop: the bridge between problem and solution

Once the problem is clarified, it's time to generate as many ideas as possible.

But not just any old way. Once the problem is clear, it's time to open up the realm of possibilities. Ideation isn't about finding the "right idea," but about exploring as many avenues as possible in order to then converge on the most promising solutions.

A good workshop brings together diverse profiles and follows a precise methodological framework. It encourages creativity, while subsequently allowing for a selection guided by the problem actually identified.

It was at this point that the rigor of the Discovery reveals its full value: ideation becomes richer, more relevant and above all more rooted in real needs.

A good ideation workshop:

• brings together diverse profiles (designerPO giant, business…

• follows a clear methodological framework

• explore before judging

• converges towards realistic paths

To help you facilitate an effective workshop, I'm providing a guide. Miro Ideation Workshop (PDF) To download.

You will find it at the bottom of the article.

Conclusion: A good problem, well understood, is worth a brilliant solution

Making a product a success isn't just about releasing features. It's about understanding human beings, their real needs, and finding the balance with business objectives.

La Discovery It is not a waste of time: it is what prevents wasting months of time later.

And when everyone is aligned on the problem, the solutions suddenly become… obvious.

>> Gift : Download your Ideation Workshop sheet (PDF): UX Republic Ideation Workshop Sheet (PDF)

 

William Martin
Product designer
UX-Republic