ncklrs/startup-os-skills
Overview
This skill provides expert product discovery guidance for user research and problem validation. It codifies techniques for interviews, JTBD, opportunity sizing, segmentation, competitive analysis, and prototype testing. Use it to structure discovery sprints, set a continuous discovery cadence, and run repeatable research operations.
How this skill works
When invoked, the skill applies a set of organized rules and frameworks across research, discovery, analysis, and testing phases. It recommends methods (generative, evaluative, quantitative) based on your hypothesis and stage, and produces concrete outputs: problem maps, validated problems, prioritized opportunities, and test results. It also offers templates for interviews, opportunity scoring, segmentation, and a weekly/monthly/quarterly cadence.
When to use it
- Planning or running user interviews
- Validating problem hypotheses before building solutions
- Sizing opportunity and prioritizing roadmap items
- Designing surveys and quantitative measures
- Running prototype or usability tests
- Synthesizing cross-source research into decisions
Best practices
- Talk directly to users, not proxies or stakeholders
- Validate problems before designing solutions; separate problem and solution interviews
- Combine qualitative and quantitative methods to measure and explain opportunity
- Run discovery continuously (weekly interviews + monthly synthesis) rather than in long, infrequent batches
- Avoid leading questions and confirmation bias; iterate your discussion guide
- Score opportunities by importance, satisfaction, frequency, and willingness to pay
Example use cases
- Run a 2-week discovery sprint to explore a new market and produce a problem space map
- Design and run JTBD interviews to uncover functional, social, and emotional jobs
- Use opportunity scoring to prioritize features across segments and build a prioritized roadmap
- Set up weekly discovery cadence: 2–3 interviews, analytics review, and backlog updates
- Prototype and usability test a flow, then synthesize learnings into actionable design changes
FAQ
Aim for weekly 2–3 interviews for continuous discovery; for a focused sprint, 10–15 interviews often reveal consistent themes. Stop when you see repeating patterns.
When should I use surveys vs interviews?
Use interviews for deep, generative insights and understanding motivations; use surveys to measure prevalence, frequency, and to validate hypotheses at scale.
How do I avoid bias in discovery?
Use neutral, behavior-focused questions (e.g., "Tell me about the last time..."). Triangulate across users, analytics, and experiments, and include diverse segments in your sample.
2 skills
This skill guides you through product discovery from interviews and JTBD to opportunity sizing and synthesis, helping validate problems and prioritize bets.
This skill guides SaaS pricing strategy and monetization, helping you design tiers, pricing pages, value metrics, and bundles for optimal revenue.
