Product Discovery Research method
Discovers growth opportunities through stable customer jobs and measurable underserved outcomes.
ODI defines the job-to-be-done, job map, and solution-neutral desired outcome statements. Quantitative importance and satisfaction data identify underserved outcomes for strategy and concepts.
Which outcomes in the customer job are important, poorly satisfied, and strategically attractive?
Outcome-Driven Innovation uses job map → outcome statements → quantitative opportunity analysis → outcome-based strategy. Assessments remain justified and context-bound.
Define job
Research job performer, core job, context, and job map.
Define outcomes
Form solution-neutral desired outcome statements per job step.
Quantify
Survey importance and satisfaction representatively and calculate opportunity.
Strategise
Cluster underserved outcomes and align strategy/concepts.
Update after new evidence or a material context change and retain the previous version.
For markets with a recurring functional job and access to qualitative and quantitative research.
ODI opportunity landscape with traceable sources, assumptions, and domain decisions.
Owners, dates, and next review for ODI opportunity landscape.
Fictional worked example
job map → outcome statements → quantitative opportunity analysis → outcome-based strategy as a precise working structure with a fictional example.
Job/step information to record
Maßnahmen bis Abschluss steuern; monitor.
Outcome statement information to record
Zeit bis Erkennen überfälliger Action minimieren.
Importance/satisfaction information to record
I=88 %, S=42 % Top-2.
Opportunity/strategy information to record
Opportunity 134; Hindernissichtbarkeit fokussieren.
The example demonstrates the domain logic of Outcome-Driven Innovation; worksheets remain blank.
Start with the core question: Which outcomes in the customer job are important, poorly satisfied, and strategically attractive?
Outcome-Driven Innovation clarifies customer problems, solution opportunities, and evidence. It separates jobs, desired outcomes, importance, satisfaction, and opportunity, and captures results as desired outcome statements, an opportunity landscape, and segments by underserved needs.
The team defines the job to be done, identifies stakeholders and beneficiaries, formulates desired outcomes for the job, measures importance and satisfaction for each outcome, calculates opportunity scores, and uses underserved outcomes as innovation levers.
Outcome-Driven Innovation was developed by Anthony Ulwick as a quantitative Jobs to be Done approach. Customers describe the job they want to get done and the desired outcomes in measurable statements, often framed as minimizing time, reducing likelihood, or increasing probability. These outcomes are rated by importance and current satisfaction, creating an opportunity score. High-importance, low-satisfaction outcomes point to underserved innovation spaces.
Spend time crafting clean desired outcome statements, because vague statements distort later scoring. Keep outcomes separate from solutions and avoid feature lists at this stage.
The method guide walks execution through 4 phases, timing, 4 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
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Plan Outcome-Driven Innovation around its domain steps and the concrete decision question.
To be confirmed
To be confirmed
Full initiative Time: Several weeks
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
Job/step information to record
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Outcome statement information to record
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Importance/satisfaction information to record
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Opportunity/strategy information to record
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Enter only real input, sources, and decisions.
Strategyn: Outcome-Driven Innovation
Expected artifact: job model
job model · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
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Expected artifact: outcome set
outcome set · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
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Expected artifact: opportunity landscape
opportunity landscape · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
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Expected artifact: outcome strategy
outcome strategy · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
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Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/odi/run-sheet
Fitting alternatives with decision guidance, followed by other related methods.
Instead of Outcome-Driven Innovation, choose Jobs to Be Done when you want to understand needs through jobs to be done instead of through target-group types.
Clarifies customer problems, solution ideas, and evidence by framing an opportunity hypothesis, recruiting participants, and turning insights into opportunities.
Uses a recurring learning loop to connect direction, current condition, target condition, and the next smallest experiment.
Sorts assumptions by uncertainty and leverage so the riskiest hypotheses get tested first.
Separates discovery and delivery so that validated stories only move into implementation after learning loops.
Clarifies customer problems, solution ideas, and evidence by framing problem hypotheses, recruiting the target group, and assessing problem risk.
