Pillar 1 · Focus area 1 of 4

Customer Problem

Assess whether there is a clearly identifiable type of customer with a meaningful problem, and whether those customers consistently recognise and describe the value the product provides.

This focus area belongs to the Coppice Labs Audit for digital-product exit readiness. It sits within Customer Value, Pillar 1 of 5.

Why it matters

Strong market fit depends on more than having customers. The product should solve a sufficiently consistent problem for a recognisable group, with customers able to articulate why the product matters and why they choose it over relevant alternatives.

The conclusion we need

Determine whether a recognisable customer or use-case group has an important problem, experiences consistent and meaningful product value, and chooses the product for credible reasons, with clear evidence of where fit is strongest and where it is weaker.

Focus area video

Why is it important to know who the product works best for?

Around 1 minute · English captions

Read video transcript
One of the first things I want to know is who the product actually works really well for. And that's not the same thing as who is buying it or the broader market that you serve. It's where the product solves a problem that people really care about and it does it better than the alternatives. So not every customer gets the same level of value from your product. There's usually a group where the problem matters more, the product solves it better. And the reason for choosing your product is is clearer. And the strongest story isn't that the product works for everyone, it's that you know where it creates the most value, why those customers care, and what evidence supports that. And you can then use that to sharpen the positioning, focus the marketing, and make better product decisions.

What we examine

The questions we will answer

  1. Which customers experience the strongest value from the product, and where is the fit weaker?
  2. What important problem or desired outcome is the product helping those customers address?
  3. How do customers describe the value they receive from the product?
  4. Why do customers choose this product over the alternatives available to them, including doing nothing?

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