Unvalidated Solutions
An unvalidated solution is a proposed product feature, service, or enhancement that has not yet been tested or proven to meet user needs or solve a specific problem effectively.
Purpose
The purpose of identifying and discussing Unvalidated Solutions is to highlight the importance of evidence-based decision-making in product development. It serves as a caution against investing significant resources into developing features or services without first validating that they address real user problems or opportunities in a valuable way.
Format
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | The specific user need, problem, or opportunity that the solution is intended to address. |
| Target Outcome | The target product metric that the solution is expected to impact, such as user engagement, retention, or conversion. |
| Persona / Job Story | A description of the persona or job that the solution is intended to address |
| Solution | A description of the proposed feature, service, or enhancement. |
Worked Example
Imagine a team proposes a new feature for a mobile app that suggests daily wellness activities to users. The Unvalidated Solution might be described in a feature specification document as follows:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | "I know I should work on my wellness, but I don't know where to start." |
| Target Outcome | Increase in page view count for wellness content. |
| Persona / Job Story | "As a busy professional, I want to improve my wellness, but I don't have time to research and plan activities." |
| Solution | A new feature that suggests daily wellness activities based on user preferences and schedule. |
Anti-Patterns
- Assumption-Driven Development: Making decisions based on assumptions about user needs, rather than evidence.
- Solution Bias: Writing the opportunity statement to fit the proposed solution, rather than the other way around.