Purpose
Helps clarify customer problem, solution idea, and evidence in concrete terms. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence. The result is captured as a Completed Experiment Canvas and a Success Metric.
Product Discovery
Experiment Canvas
Moves customer problem, solution idea, and evidence toward a concrete result through "clarify the learning goal and the assumption to test", "formulate the hypothesis as an if-then statement", and "define the decision rule after the test".
Which assumption are we testing with which experiment, at what threshold is the hypothesis confirmed, and what decision follows from the result?
LowWorkshop + async30-60 min
How it works
The team follows the steps "clarify the learning goal and the assumption to test", "formulate the hypothesis as an if-then statement", "describe the test design and setup", "define the metric and success threshold", "add risks and prerequisites", and "define the decision rule after the test". Each step is made visible. At the end, a Completed Experiment Canvas and a Success Metric are available so decisions, tests, or actions can continue directly.
Visual orientation
Method sketch for a quick mental model.
Flow
- 1Clarify the learning goal and the assumption to test
- 2Formulate the hypothesis as an if-then statement
- 3Describe the test design and setup
- 4Define the metric and success threshold
- 5Add risks and prerequisites
- 6Define the decision rule after the test
The runsheet guides execution with 5 phases, timeboxes, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open runsheetIdeal for
- Discovery sprints
- Idea validation
- Growth hypotheses
Not good for
- Pure execution tasks without an open hypothesis
Deep dive
In detail
The Experiment Canvas is filled out before every test and usually contains fields for the hypothesis, the riskiest assumption, the test design, the success metric, the threshold, and the learning goal. Common variants come from Ash Maurya and Strategyzer and are widely used in discovery coaching.
Facilitation
Start with the learning goal, not with the test design. Do not accept a hypothesis without a clear threshold.
Output artifacts
Ausgefülltes Experiment CanvasErfolgsmetrik
Artifact templates
Experiment Canvas Working TemplateCompact working template for Experiment Canvas with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.canvas
Experiment Canvas Working TemplateCompact working template for Experiment Canvas with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
canvasexperiment-canvas-working-template.md
Compact working template for Experiment Canvas with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
Experiment Canvas Canvas
Context
What is this method used for?
Core question
Which question should be answered at the end?
Input
Which data, observations, or materials are available?
Working area
- Area 1:
- Area 2:
- Area 3:
- Relationships / patterns:
Output artifacts
- Filled Experiment Canvas:
- Success metric:
Open questions
- ...
Next step
Owner, date, success signal.
When to choose differently
Short decision aid for existing alternatives.
Riskiest Assumption Test
Statt Experiment Canvas, wenn du mit Riskiest Assumption Test die riskanteste Annahme zuerst unter realen Bedingungen prüfen willst.
Similar methods
All methodsProduct Discovery
Hypothesis Prioritization Canvas
Moves customer problem, solution idea, and evidence toward a concrete result through "take over the hypothesis list", "define the risk scale", and "select the top hypotheses for the next tests".
Product Discovery
Riskiest Assumption Test
Moves customer problem, solution idea, and evidence toward a concrete result through "collect assumptions explicitly", "rate uncertainty and leverage for each assumption", and "decide to pivot, persevere, or stop".
Statt Experiment Canvas, wenn du mit Riskiest Assumption Test die riskanteste Annahme zuerst unter realen Bedingungen prüfen willst.
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MVP Test Matrix
Moves customer problem, solution idea, and evidence toward a concrete result through "list assumptions", "map assumptions to dimensions", and "derive the test plan".
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Dual-Track Agile
Verbindet kontinuierliche Product Discovery mit laufender Delivery, damit Teams lernen und liefern, ohne beides zu vermischen.
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Turns customer problems, solution ideas, and evidence into a tangible result by setting outcomes, collecting opportunities, and updating learning status.
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Fake Door Test
Turns customer problem, solution idea, and evidence into a tangible result by defining the hypothesis and target signal, shaping the fake door, and deciding what to learn next.