27.05.2021 Fabian Roschig
Unlock the strategies for creating irresistible products.
But how do you know what your customers really need and want? How do you move beyond guesswork to consistently develop products and services that deliver?
In my previous post, “Ideas Don’t Matter. Problems Do.”, I introduced the simple equation for commercially successful innovation:
Innovation = Viable and feasible solutions for unmet customer needs.
If it’s that simple, and so many great ideas are floating around, why do 95% of new products fail when launched into the marketplace?
The reason? Most companies claim to be user-centric, but they often lack a clear, aligned definition of what a “customer need” really is. The term “need” can be vague — encompassing everything from desires and pain points to expectations and gains.
Without clarity, it’s impossible to build solutions that truly meet customer expectations. If your target is a moving one, your chances of hitting it are extremely low. So, how do we improve decision-making and understand what customers really want to achieve with our products or services?
Through extensive projects, one concept stands out: Jobs-to-be-Done. The core idea is simple but transformative:
People don’t just buy products or services — they “hire” them to make progress in specific circumstances.
This shift in perspective is critical. It moves us beyond the mindset of “product attributes” and lets us see the value of our offering through the eyes of the customer. The question changes from “How do I improve my product?” to “How does my product help the customer make meaningful progress?”
In the words of Kathy Sierra:
“Upgrade your user, not your product. Don’t build better cameras — build better photographers.”
This change of perspective places the customer as the hero, not the product. To explore this more deeply, think about how your customer evaluates value. What progress are they trying to make with your product?
By using specialized interview techniques, you can capture and organize customer insights to make innovation more predictable. This isn’t just about gathering feedback — it’s about creating a precise understanding of customer struggles so you can solve them effectively.
When capturing user needs, it’s critical to go beyond functional aspects of decision-making. Consider these four dimensions:
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When customers decide whether or not to adopt a new solution, they are influenced by two sets of forces:
As Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor, explains, it’s crucial to balance both forces in order to nudge customers toward adopting your product.
To truly excel at creating products and services people will love and buy, you need to move beyond “building better products” to helping customers make progress. Start by understanding their unmet needs through structured, detailed analysis, and leverage the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to guide your product development. This approach helps you eliminate guesswork and focus on building solutions that deliver real value to your customers.
If this article sparked some thoughts and you’re:
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Hi, my name is Fabian Roschig.
With a background that blends entrepreneurial experience and corporate innovation, I’ve had the opportunity to found and lead two startups, manage a corporate incubator, and support innovation initiatives across both SMEs and Fortune 500 companies.
I’m not a traditional consultant — I’m an entrepreneur and operator, 100% focused on execution. I bring a startup mindset to every project, ensuring that we’re not just talking about ideas but actually making them happen, often stepping in as interim project leader to guide teams directly.
My goal is to build lasting capabilities within your team, not dependencies. While I’m committed to being a long-term partner, I also aim to empower your teams to innovate independently.
I’m now focused on combining my business experience with advanced AI strategies to help businesses innovate more efficiently and stay ahead of the curve. Together, we’ll turn your ideas into practical, market-ready solutions that drive real business impact.
I’m excited to learn about your challenges and explore how I can support you — whether through workshops, consulting, interim leadership, or serving as a sounding board for your growth initiatives. I’d love to connect and get to know you better!
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Originally published at http://fabianroschig.com
How to Create Products People Will Love and Buy was originally published in Fabian Roschig — Innovation Advisory on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.