Problem-First Product Development
Trace customer friction before deciding whether to build a product
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
Problem-first development begins with customer behavior: what people are trying to accomplish, where they stop, and why existing tools fail them. The team investigates objections until it can state the underlying problem independently of any proposed product. It then compares possible interventions, including instructions, content, emails, prompts, service changes, and physical products. The smallest solution capable of producing the desired result should be tested first. A product is built only when its format removes meaningful friction or creates an experience that lighter interventions cannot. Successful solutions then expose adjacent customer needs, allowing the portfolio to expand coherently without trapping the brand inside its original category. The output is not necessarily a new SKU; it is the most efficient solution to a validated problem.
Origin
Cathryn Lavery developed this approach while expanding Best Self beyond journals. Attempts to help customers journal led to prompt cards, which later inspired conversation decks for couples and families.
Core principles
- 01Start with a recurring customer problem, not an available product format
- 02Investigate the friction beneath objections and stalled behavior
- 03Choose the lightest intervention that can solve the problem
- 04Let one validated solution reveal adjacent problems
- 05A brand should not be trapped by its original product category
How to run it
- 1
Observe the blocked behavior
Identify what customers are trying to do and the point where progress breaks down. Use objections, support questions, usage patterns, and customer requests as evidence.
Pro tip Phrase the observation as customer behavior rather than a feature request.
Watch out Do not assume the product customers request is the solution they need.
- 2
Name the underlying problem
Ask why the obstacle exists until the problem can be described without mentioning a specific product. Separate symptoms such as blank pages or shallow conversations from their causes.
Pro tip Look for emotional friction, including vulnerability, uncertainty, and fear of doing something incorrectly.
Watch out A vague problem statement will produce a vague or unnecessary offer.
- 3
Generate multiple interventions
Consider education, email guidance, examples, prompts, services, product changes, and new products. Compare them by customer effort, company cost, speed, and likely effectiveness.
Pro tip Include at least one solution that requires no new product development.
Watch out Product-oriented teams often default to manufacturing another SKU.
- 4
Choose the lightest effective solution
Test the least resource-intensive intervention that can create the desired behavior. Build a dedicated product only when its format materially improves adoption or results.
Pro tip An email or free resource can validate whether guidance alone resolves the issue.
Watch out Do not monetize a solution merely because the company can make it.
- 5
Design out the friction
If a product is justified, shape its format around the exact obstacle. Make the desired action easier, safer, or more natural than it was with the previous format.
Pro tip Use a neutral object or prompt to reduce interpersonal vulnerability when appropriate.
Watch out Adding features that do not address the original friction can obscure the value proposition.
- 6
Follow adjacent problems
Study how customers use the solution and what related needs emerge. Expand the portfolio around connected problems rather than duplicating the original product endlessly.
Pro tip Keep the brand promise broad enough to encompass the customer's larger desired outcome.
Watch out Do not let the format of the first bestseller define the entire company.
In the wild
Best Self wanted to help people who struggled to journal effectively. Fixed prompts printed in journals created a new frustration when users did not want to answer a particular question or leave a blank page. Moving prompts onto cards made them selectable and independent of a journal. The team then recognized that people have conversations more often than they journal, which led to relationship and family conversation decks.
→ A journaling obstacle produced a flexible card format and then a broader product category tied to connection rather than stationery.
A skincare company hears that customers do not know which order to apply its existing products. Instead of immediately manufacturing a new organizer, it sends a visual routine guide and tracks whether support requests and product usage improve. Only if the guidance fails does it test a physical tool designed around the remaining friction.
→ The company solves the problem at minimum cost and avoids an unsupported product launch.
Common mistakes
Starting with a product idea
A team can become attached to manufacturing an item before proving that it addresses a meaningful customer problem.
Turning every answer into a SKU
Some customer problems can be solved faster and more profitably with an email, example, or free resource.
Letting the first product define the brand
Treating Best Self solely as a journal company would have hidden opportunities in relationships, family communication, and other dimensions of personal development.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for established brands with customer feedback, a trusted audience, and opportunities to expand into adjacent needs.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when a team has no access to customers, cannot test assumptions, or has already committed to a fixed product regardless of the problem.
From the transcript
“I talked about this like problem first company instead of a product first.”
“not everything should be a product that we sell.”
“yeah, we could also just send them an email and like we don't need to waste our resources like building a product that we can…”
From the episode
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Cathryn Lavery