We're launching a new product/feature, but we're not sure who our target audience really is or what they actually want
Let’s face it: launching a product or feature without a clear idea of who it’s for or what they actually want is a gamble at best—and a catastrophe waiting to happen at worst. If you’re in leadership, innovation, product development, UX, or CX, this thought has probably kept you up at night. And honestly, it should.
We’ve all heard the stats: product launch failure rates are through the roof. Despite the fancy frameworks, workshops, and innovation buzzwords, many launches flop spectacularly. Why? Because too often, we’re putting the cart before the horse.
Why Are You Launching in the Dark?
Here’s the million-dollar question: Why are you moving forward with a product or feature when you’re uncertain about the audience or their needs?
Go ahead, say it:
“But we had a workshop!”
Great. Unless you wanted to wallpaper your office with sticky notes (or missed out by going digital), that workshop isn’t solving your problem.
Let’s break it down:
High Risk of Wasting Time and Resources
The Problem: If you don’t know your audience, you’re guessing—guessing what features to build, what problems to solve, and how to craft the user experience.
The Impact: You burn through budgets, time, and talent creating something no one actually asked for. Cue poor adoption, sluggish sales, and the inevitable post-mortem where everyone asks, “What went wrong?”
Example: Building an upscale Italian restaurant in a town obsessed with hot dogs. Enough said.
Ineffective Marketing and Communication
The Problem: When you’re unclear on your audience, your marketing becomes scattershot. You’re throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
The Impact: Your message doesn’t resonate. Leads dry up. Brand awareness fizzles. All because you didn’t know who you were talking to or what they cared about.
Example: Launching a fitness tracker and marketing it to "everyone"—from marathoners to couch surfers—results in muddled messaging that captures no one’s attention.
Missed Opportunities for Loyalty and Growth
The Problem: The best products solve specific problems for specific people. When you nail this, you create loyal customers who sing your praises. Without that clarity? Your product is just noise in a crowded market.
The Impact: No loyal fans, no word-of-mouth buzz, and no emotional connection with your brand.
Example: A company that designs accounting software just for freelance artists will win over a niche audience. A generic solution? Not so much.
So, What’s Wrong With Workshops?
Look, I get it. Workshops sound great in theory. Collaboration! Brainstorming! Sticky notes galore! But in practice, they often fall flat. Why?
Biases and Assumptions Run Wild
The Problem: Workshops are often packed with internal stakeholders who already have their minds made up. Their biases influence the process, skewing insights toward their pre-existing beliefs.
The Impact: You end up validating internal assumptions, not uncovering real customer needs.
Example: A facilitator obsessed with adding a specific feature might subtly steer conversations to support their case—even if users couldn’t care less.
Unvalidated Data Drives Development
The Problem: Workshop insights are treated as gospel without being validated in the real world. Hypotheses become hardcoded into roadmaps without a second thought.
The Impact: Your product ends up solving problems no one actually has, wasting time and money.
Example: A workshop suggests users want a shiny new feature. Six months later, it launches… and no one uses it. Why? Because no one asked the users if they actually cared.
Here’s How I Do It Differently
If you’re tired of betting on workshops and wishy-washy guesses, you’re in the right place. I’ve developed a rigorous yet flexible approach based on Jobs-to-be-Done and Outcome-Driven Innovation—but with some major tweaks. Why? Because the old way wasn’t cutting it.
Here’s what I fixed:
Made it approachable: Not everyone is wired for engineer-level rigor.
Simplified the language: No jargon that alienates people.
Cut through the noise: The so-called Opportunity Score? It’s not as useful as you think.
Built for action: Instead of abstract dots on a scatterplot, I focus on actionable personas and marketing-ready insights.
Prioritized the priorities: I rank what matters most so you can act now, not later.
A Smarter, Faster Way to Innovate
I’ve eliminated the need for expensive, time-consuming JTBD interviews. You can now use AI to tackle problems in a completely new way. Whether you want to use my system, stick with the old-school approach, or create your own hybrid, the choice is yours. You get the raw materials need to chart your own course.
The Game-Changer: AI Reasoning
I’ve added an AI-powered reasoning feature that explains its thought process, so you can validate (or challenge) the results. It’s a lifesaver when tweaking outputs or convincing stakeholders. And honestly? We’ve never had this level of transparency before.
So, why not see what’s possible? Hop on the AI train and start solving the right problems for the right people—without wasting time, money, or effort.
The old way clearly isn’t working. Let’s try something better. 🎯
Mike Boysen - www.pjtbd.com
Why fail fast when you can succeed the first time?
Book an appointment: https://pjtbd.com/book-mike
Grab my JTBD Masterclass: https://mc.zeropivot.us/s/mc-1
Get the whole customer management thing done on a single platform:
https://pjtbd.com/tech-stack