4 Discovery I: The Nine Guesses

Discovery is the beginning of the journey to make the change you want to see. It’s where you hone your vision and start testing it against reality.

The big difference between lean startup and everything else you’ve ever done is that you start with hypotheses—educated guesses about what you are seeking to change informed by your innovative idea. In discovery you will detail and deepen your initial vision and, most important, test it against the real world. You will “discover” how real people understand the problem and respond to your solution.

There are four steps that immediately get you out in the world and testing your vision:

1. Write down your best guesses for the critical elements of your innovation.

2. Test the problem.

3. Test the solution.

4. Verify or pivot.

Let’s get started with the guesses!