UX Strategy, 2nd Edition

Chapter 3. Defining the Initial Value Proposition

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Defining the Initial Value Proposition

To know what a business is we must start with its purpose. Its purpose must lie outside of the business itself. In fact, it must lie in society since business enterprise is the organ of the society. There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer.*

—PETER DRUCKER

At the beginning, you don’t simply define your solution. Rather, you first need to figure out what problem you’re going to solve and what kind of customer needs it solves the most. That’s a lot to figure out, and getting one part wrong could turn your vision into a delusion. So to stay grounded, you’re going to dig into Tenet 1: Business Strategy and Tenet 3: Validated User Research. (See Figure 3-1 and refer to Chapter 2 if you need a refresher on the four tenets of UX strategy.) In this chapter, you will learn how to create a value proposition, which is the magical thing that you must make tangible for customers. Then, you will conduct customer discovery to learn who your customers are and if they have a strong need and desire for your value proposition.

FIGURE 3-1

Tenet 1 and Tenet 3: Business Strategy and Validated User Research

The Blockbuster Value Proposition

When I was in eighth grade, I used to pretend I had a stomachache so my mom would take me to work with her. She was a legal secretary ...