After interviews you usually have more problems than your team can solve. Choosing well is one of the most important product judgements, and adverts for product roles mention market research and competitor analysis as part of it. The goal is not to pick the most exciting problem but the one where solving it creates the most value.
Four questions to compare problems
For each problem, ask:
- How painful is it? Does it cost people money, time, health or dignity, or is it a small annoyance?
- How often does it happen? Daily problems create habits; once a year problems are easy to forget.
- How many people have it? One trader or thousands across the region?
- Do people already spend effort or money on it? If people pay a susu collector, hire a helper or travel to solve something, the problem is real.
A simple table helps. Score each problem from 1 to 3 on each question and add the scores. The total is not the answer, but it forces you to discuss the reasons.
Check the alternatives
Every problem already has a solution, even if it is a poor one: a notebook, a phone call, a cousin, doing nothing. Before building, list:
- What people use today, including informal methods.
- Direct competitors, other products solving the same problem.