The Best Tool For Creating A Product Customers Actually Want

We all have great business ideas from time to time, particularly in the shower! And you often cannot wait to dart out and share it with a friend or family member, praying for them to respond with 'that idea is genius!' But the truth is, every idea is a great idea! There is no such thing as a bad idea. BUT in business, the idea only ever supersedes 'great' if there are customers out there who will actually want your product. 

We’ve all experienced those light bulb moments, when a seemingly genius business idea pops into our heads, often in the most unexpected places, like the shower. Fueled by excitement, we rush to share it with friends or family, hoping for their enthusiastic approval. But here’s the reality, not every idea, no matter how clever, will succeed in the market. Why? Because it all depends on whether there are customers who genuinely need and want your product.

That’s where the Value Proposition Canvas comes in. This simple yet powerful framework helps you evaluate if your idea meets a real demand and delivers value to your customers. Whether you’re launching a new venture or refining an existing one, the canvas ensures your product aligns with the needs of your target audience, setting the stage for achieving a product-market fit.

What is the Value Proposition Canvas?

The Value Proposition Canvas is a strategic tool that I discovered at University. It visually maps the relationship between your product and your customers. On one side, it outlines your product’s features and benefits; on the other, it captures the jobs, pains, and gains of your target audience. By aligning these elements, you can determine whether your offering genuinely solves customer problems and fulfills their desires.

This framework is invaluable for startups testing a new idea, established businesses looking to innovate, or anyone seeking clarity about their market fit. But before diving into the canvas, ensure you’ve identified your target customer and researched their needs. Without this foundation, the canvas won’t be as effective.

How To Use The Value Proposition Canvas

You place your business on the left with your solution at the centre and your ideal customer is on the right. At this point, you must know who your customer is. If you have not yet made any decisions about who your target customer is and what their problem is, go back and carry out this research first. 

1. Identify Customer Jobs

Customer jobs are the tasks, needs, or problems your customers aim to address. These can be:

• Functional

  (e.g., buying a product or achieving a specific goal)

• Social

  (e.g., gaining status or connecting with others)

• Emotional

  (e.g., feeling happy or avoiding frustration)

Example 3: Meal Delivery Service

• Functional job: Provide convenient, ready-to-eat meals.

• Social job: Impress friends with a dinner party or a well-planned diet.

• Emotional job: Avoid stress and feel reassured about healthy eating.

Products and Services

This is the space to write about your product or service, even if it is just an idea, explain exactly what it is, its functionality and the problem it addresses. For example, a jewellery shop that sells affordable handmade pieces online, made from white gold and silver.

Now, reflect back on your customers jobs, does your product or service description help your customers achieve at least one of their tasks? If not, can it be adjusted?

Customer pains

Now you need to explore the potential barriers your customer faces when carrying out their jobs. What risks are there and what fears do they have? Using the example of jewellery, perhaps there is a fear of purchasing an expensive item online, or a fear it won't be delivered safely. Or maybe your customer is not well versed in jewellery and so is skeptical about product quality. This leads us on to pain relievers.

Pain Relievers

Reflect on the customer pains and describe how your product or service would alleviate their pains. For example, do you provide detailed product descriptions and customer reviews? This could ease any anxieties or fears about purchasing an expensive item online. Do you enable order tracking? This could remove fears around delivery. If you do not feel your product or service alleviates the customers pains, what changes could you make? 

Customer gains

Now consider what your customer would expect to gain from your product or service. Perhaps they expect access to an online sales adviser to answer their queries. And maybe a guaranteed delivery time due to the value of the item. Gains can help persuade the customer to buy. 

Gain creators

These are the features and benefits of your product or service that creates the customer gains and brings value. For example, is it good value for money? Do you offer next day delivery? Perhaps a 360 degree view of the ring online? Most importantly however, do your gain creators match up to the customers expected gains? Perhaps you need to shift your focus.

Remember this is just an example, you must conduct research into your customer in order to fill the framework with accurate information that will help you to achieve a product-market fit!