JULIA ANKUDINOVA GROWTH BOOSTER
Problem
Validation
Framework
Intro
By following the problem validation
framework, you will:
Gain сlarity on problem significance
You’ll uncover if the problem is critical and frequent enough to warrant a
solution, saving you from building products that might not resonate.
PREPARED BY
Julia Ankudinova Identify true customer needs
Growth Product This framework enables you to listen directly to customers and recognize
Manager patterns in their feedback, highlighting the must-solve aspects of their
challenges.
PREPARED FOR Quantify pain points
Startup Founders Through scoring and prioritization, you’ll determine which pain points are
Early Stage Product “nice-to-solve” vs. “must-solve,” ensuring your focus is on high-impact
Managers problems.
Product Marketing
Managers Test willingness to pay
UX Researchers Before investing in product development, you’ll gain insight into whether
Marketing Managers customers are ready to invest financially in a solution, an indicator of strong
Marketing Strategists product-market fit potential.
1
Step 1
Define the problem
context
01 Problem Statement
Write a clear, concise statement describing the problem.
Example: "Freelance content creators struggle to keep track of project deadlines,
client feedback, and invoices across multiple platforms, which leads to missed
deadlines and payment delays."
02 Customer segment
Specify the target customer group affected by this problem (e.g., "Small business
owners in e-commerce").
Example: "Freelance content creators and independent contractors, especially those
working with multiple clients, who manage projects on their own without dedicated
project management tools."
03 Current solutions
Identify how customers are currently solving the problem or coping without a
solution.
Example: “Freelancers are currently using a mix of spreadsheets, personal calendars,
task management apps (like Trello or Asana), and email to track project deadlines,
client communications, and payment schedules. However, these tools are not
integrated, leading to a lot of manual work and missed details”.
04 Problem severity
Assess how severe the problem is (e.g., “causes a 20% decrease in productivity”).
Example: "Causes up to 25% of freelancers to miss deadlines or experience delays in
payment due to overlooked tasks and lost client feedback. This problem also leads to
an estimated 15% revenue loss per year due to unpaid invoices or delayed payments."
Goal: Confirm that the problem is specific, clearly defined, and
relevant to your target customers.
8
Define the problem context
The define the problem context phase is foundational and directly connects
with the second phase, customer discovery, because it provides the structure
and clarity needed to conduct effective customer interviews and collect
meaningful data.
1. Problem statement → focus of customer discovery questions
Connection with customer
Example
discovery
A clear problem statement serves as the
anchor for customer interviews, ensuring If the problem statement is, "Freelancers
questions are related to the issue being struggle to keep track of client feedback,
explored. leading to missed deadlines," questions
will focus on feedback management
This prevents conversations from experiences, rather than other
straying into unrelated topics and freelancing challenges.
ensures actionable insights.
2. Customer segment → targeted interview recruitment
Connection with customer
Example
discovery
Defining your customer segment allows
For the segment "freelance content
you to recruit the right interviewees.
creators," you would specifically recruit
these individuals, rather than generic
This ensures feedback is from individuals
freelancers, ensuring insights are relevant
who genuinely experience the problem
to the target audience.
and allows for tailored questions.
7
Define the problem context
In the customer discovery phase, you can then validate, expand on, or refine
these insights by asking real customers about their experiences and
perspectives.
3. Current solutions → insightful questions on pain points
Connection with customer
Example
discovery
Knowing current solutions customers use
enables you to ask focused questions If freelancers currently use spreadsheets
about their limitations. for feedback tracking, you can ask about
specific challenges they face, such as
This highlights unmet needs and informs organization, accessibility, or task
potential areas where your solution could tracking.
add value.
4. Problem severity → depth and urgency of interview questions
Connection with customer
Example
discovery
Understanding problem severity guides
the depth and urgency of interview
If 25% of freelancers miss deadlines due
questions.
to feedback tracking, follow-up questions
would explore the business impacts, like
Severe problems require questions on
lost income or client dissatisfaction.
emotional and business impacts, helping
gauge willingness to pay for a solution.
7
Step 2
Conduct customer
discovery
01 Customer interviews
Conduct 10-15 interviews with people in your target segment,
asking open-ended questions to understand their
experiences and challenges.
02 Customer segment
Observe the customers in action if possible (e.g., shadow
them in a work setting) to see the problem in context.
03 Pattern recognition
Document and review common pain points, frustrations, and
workarounds mentioned by multiple customers.
Goal: Gather qualitative evidence that multiple customers share
this problem and consider it a high-priority pain point.
8
Customer discovery
Interview questions
Understanding the customer's experience and
environment
1. Could you walk me through a typical day (or work process) where this
problem arises? (Frequency, Impact)
2. What are the biggest challenges you face in your current workflow?
(Impact)
3. How does this problem affect your work or daily routine? (impact)
4. How often do you encounter this issue? (Frequency)
5. Can you describe any frustrations or difficulties you feel when facing this
problem? (Impact, Willingness to Pay)
Exploring existing solutions and workarounds
6. What have you tried in the past to solve or mitigate this problem?
(Uniqueness)
7. How effective are these solutions for you? (Uniqueness, Impact)
8. What do you like and dislike about the solutions you currently use?
(Uniqueness)
9. If there were no barriers, how would you ideally want to solve this
problem? (Uniqueness, Willingness to Pay) 5
10. How much time, effort, or resources are you putting into solving this
problem currently? (Impact, Willingness to Pay)
Customer discovery
Interview questions
Evaluating the problem's impact
11. What would happen if you didn’t address this problem at all? (Impact)
12. How would solving this problem improve your work or life? (Impact)
13. What are the long-term consequences of not solving this issue? (Impact)
Assessing pain and willingness to pay
14. How much of a priority is it for you to find a solution for this problem?
(Willingness to Pay, Impact)
15. If there was a solution that perfectly addressed this issue, would you be
willing to pay for it? (Willingness to Pay)
16. How do you make decisions about investing in tools or services for
similar problems? (Willingness to Pay)
5
Step 3
Score problem
▪️ Frequency (1-5)
How often do customers experience this problem?
▪️ Impact (1-5)
How negatively does the problem affect customers' lives or
businesses?
▪️ Willingness to Pay (1-5)
How likely are customers to pay for a solution?
▪️ Uniqueness (1-5)
Are existing solutions inadequate or non-existent?
Frequency Impact Willingness to Pay Uniqueness
Goal: Identify which problems are “must-solve” vs. “nice-to-solve”
based on a quantified scoring approach.
8
Step 4
Red flags analysis
Evaluate whether there are red flags that might indicate a lack of Product-
Market Fit potential:
▪️ Low frequency 🚩
Customers encounter this problem infrequently.
▪️ Weak pain point 🚩
The problem is seen as inconvenient but not critical.
▪️ Existing strong solutions 🚩
There are established products solving the problem well.
▪️ Low Willingness to Pay 🚩
Customers are not ready to invest in a solution.
Goal: Filter out low-priority problems and focus on those with clear,
high-priority pain points.
8
Next Steps: Validation
experiments
This step is where qualitative findings transition into quantitative evidence,
allowing you to confirm whether the problem is compelling enough to drive real
customer interest and commitment.
▪️ Landing page test
Create a simple landing page describing the solution and
direct interviewees (or new prospects) to it. Track interest
through sign-ups or demo requests.
▪️ Pre-sales offer
Offer the solution on a pre-order basis to gauge if customers
are willing to pay even before the product exists.
▪️ Surveys with incentives
Send a targeted survey asking potential users about their
interest in the solution, offering an incentive for honest
responses.
Gather quantitative evidence (clicks, sign-ups, pre-orders) to validate
customer interest and willingness to pay.
Based on evidence, decide whether to (a) pursue the solution, (b) refine the
problem, or (c) pivot to a different issue.
6
Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to read this
framework. If you have any questions or
would like to discuss how to apply it better
please don't hesitate to reach out to me.
[Link]
ankudinovajulia@[Link]
14