ESCAPING    THE ASSUMPTIONS TRAP  MADRID DECEMBER 13. 2024 @BENNOLOEWENBERG for Startups

AI generated image THE LOST COMPASS  AN ESCAPE “GAMEWORK” FOR STARTUPS @BENNOLOEWENBERG

“ We know our customers, research will only slow us down !” this is called “naive optimism”

  ADEQUATE GROWTH TARGETS ?  “Higher frequency of usage” “20% more bookings”

  AMPLE ASSUMPTIONS ?  “When we build feature X, users will engage more” “Customers will book more often, when we make our product faster”

  SUFFICIANT GROWTH TARGETS  “Higher frequency of usage” “By year-end 2025, 75% of enterprise-segment users will have incorporated our SaaS product into their regular planning workflows” “20% more bookings” “By Q2 2025, 50% of our existing customers will have adopted advance booking as their standard approach for regular travel arrangements”

  SUFFICIANT HYPOTHESES  “When we build feature X, users will engage more“ “Customers will book more often, when we make our product faster” How to figure out, what may actually help to reach the growth targets?

  LET’S DIVE IN …  AI generated image

AI generated image LOADING PERSPECTIVE … 

YOU WORKING WITH   YOUR OWN TEAM  AI-generated image (execpt the hands :-)

  WHAT STARTUPS SUFFER FROM  Moving too fast without validation Building features without clear user needs Scaling before product-market fit

  WHAT THEY WANT FROM EXPERTS  Offer new perspectives Challenge assumptions Help to focus on customer needs … quickly Sources: Maister, Green & Galford; Garman (AWS)

  … & GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS  CHALLENGE OUTCOME Graphic: Benno Lœwenberg

  ASSUMPTIONS AT EVERY STEP  CHALLENGE OUTCOME Customers Value Interactions Market Experience Graphic: Benno Lœwenberg

Escape room #1 AI generated image   LET’S ENTER ONE BLACK BOX… 

ASSUMPTIONS ON ASSUMPTIONS  Escape room #1 AI generated image

AI generated image LOADING SCENARIO … 

CAPTURING CONJECTURES  Escape room #1 AI generated image island Fata morgana !

current customer behaviour target customer behaviour   THE CHASM  what do we need to envision and enable that supports this behaviour change Escape island #1

  STARTUPS FEEL   Escape island #1 AI generated image

Chasing growth based on past success rather than validating new user behaviors Scaling solutions without understanding if assumed needs match actual customer jobs Focusing on quick metrics instead of validating real behavior change …   COMMON HURDLES FOR STARTUPS   Escape island #1

HELP YOUR TEAM    TO ESCAPE WITH Escape island #1 AI-generated image (execpt the hands :-) CX

You have only very limited time to help your startup escaping the assumptions trap, before they have to decide about their next step …   THE TIDE IS RISING …  Escape island #1

Escape island #1 AI generated image   LET’S START … 

“ Improve my health while achieving professional goals, without sacrificing one for the other .” AI generated images Escape island #1

Personality Type Implusive influential, enthusiastic, inspiring Personality Type Performer dominant, determined, visionary Escape island #1 AI generated image

Customer Desire Fun Need for positive experiences, en- tertainment, and lightness. Promotes engagement and well-being through intrinsic motivation. implusive emotional Customer Desire Control Longing to actively influence situations. Promotes auto- nomy, self-determination, and self-efficacy. Performer emotional Customer Desire Innovation Enthusiasm for fresh ideas and forward-thinking solutions. Drives personal develop- ment and progress. impulsive rational Customer Desire Efficiency Achieving goals with mini- mal input and maximum impact. Optimizing proces- ses and resource use. Performer rational Escape island #1 AI generated image

AI generated images Escape island #1   BE BACK IN TIME ! 

current customer behaviour target customer behaviour   THE BRIDGE  this supports the behaviour change Escape island #1 Personality Type Implusive influential, enthusiastic, inspiring Customer Desire Innovation Enthusiasm for fresh ideas and forward-thinking solutions. Drives personal development and progress. impulsive rational Behaviour Pattern IKEA-Effect Increased valuation of out- puts, ideas, or processes that one has personally contributed to or created Impulsive rational Driver/Barrier Endowment Effect Overvaluing things one owns. Makes it difficult to accept changes. barrier IKEA-Effect Trigger/Intervention Salience of consequences Highlighting the conse- quences of behavior. Enhances awareness of long-term impacts. framing attractive IKEA-Effect you just played with these pattern cards :-)

This modular approach enables: + acknowledging dynamic and hereogeneous nature of customer goals, contexts, and needs + medium to long-term outlook on viability and susystainability of benefits … and have greater impact (while saving time)   USING BEHAVIOUR AS LENS 

  MORE ASSUMPTION TRAPS …  CHALLENGE OUTCOME Graphic: Benno Lœwenberg

  THE BENNO BOX  to the rescue AI generated image

  THE BENNO BOX  repertoire level CHALLENGE OUTCOME METHODS BANK PATTERNS BANK METRICS BANK Graphic: Benno Lœwenberg the cards we used are the easy access to it

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CHALLENGE OUTCOME EXPERT GUIDANCE METHODS BANK WORK- SHOPS PLAY- BOOKS PATTERNS BANK METRICS BANK Graphic: Benno Lœwenberg  THE   BENNO   BOX  enablement level hands-on know-how made accessible to all

CHALLENGE OUTCOME EXPERT GUIDANCE METHODS BANK WORK- SHOPS PLAY- BOOKS PATTERNS BANK METRICS BANK Graphic: Benno Lœwenberg SYSTEMS THINKING DATA + AI  THE   BENNO   BOX  strategic level to get to a whole new level of CX

LET’S FIND COMPASSES  TO YOUR EXPERIENCE WHAT OTHER TRAPS YOUR STARTUP NEEDS HELP TO ASCAPE FROM ? AI generated image

 @BENNOLOEWENBERG  PRODUCT STRATEGY & DESIGN CUSTOMER & USER EXPERIENCE