Understanding Your Customer
You've validated that a problem exists. Now it's time to deeply understand the people who have that problem. Customer understanding is the foundation of everything you'll build.
Key Concept
You're not building for "everyone." You're building for a specific type of person with specific needs. The more specific you get, the better your product will be.
Creating Customer Personas
A customer persona is a detailed description of your ideal customer—a fictional character based on real data from your interviews.
Example Persona: "Stressed Sara"
Demographics: 20-year-old college junior at a state university. First-gen student. Works part-time.
Goals: Get into a good graduate program. Make her family proud.
Frustrations: Overwhelmed by contradictory advice. Feels behind peers with connected families.
Behaviors: Spends 2+ hours daily on Reddit seeking advice. Has a complex spreadsheet for deadlines.
Quote: "Everyone seems to know something I don't."
Persona Check
What is a customer persona?
How to Talk to Users
Eric Migicovsky • Y Combinator
Why watch this: Eric Migicovsky (founder of Pebble) shares exactly how to conduct customer interviews. This is THE guide for talking to users—techniques YC uses with thousands of startups.
Jobs-to-be-Done Framework
Customers don't buy products—they "hire" products to do a job for them.
People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.— Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School
The Three Types of Jobs
Match the Job Types
Match each job type to what it addresses:
Job Statement Formula
When [], I want to [], so I can [].
Finding Early Adopters
Early adopters are people who have the problem so acutely they'll try new, unproven solutions:
Spot the Early Adopter
Which person is most likely an early adopter?
🌟 Perfect Early Adopter!
Maya has invested significant time building her own solution AND is still actively looking for something better. She'll be forgiving of bugs because she desperately needs this solved.
👍 Potential, But Not Ideal
Lisa has tried solutions but gave up. She might be an early adopter, but you need to understand why previous apps didn't stick before knowing if your solution will.
💡 Not an Early Adopter
Tom shows mild interest but no urgency. He's not actively trying to solve this problem—he'd be better to target after you've proven product-market fit.
Create Your Customer Persona
CreationBased on your interviews, create a detailed persona:
Example Persona
NAME: "Determined David"
DEMOGRAPHICS: 19, sophomore at UC Davis, first-gen, parents run a small restaurant, works 15 hrs/week
GOALS: Land a tech internship, prove to his family that college was worth it, build financial stability
FRUSTRATIONS: Doesn't know anyone in tech. LinkedIn feels fake. Career fairs are overwhelming. His peers seem to magically get interviews.
BEHAVIORS: Applies to 50+ jobs online with no response. Watches YouTube videos about interviewing. Too intimidated to reach out to alumni.
QUOTE: "I work just as hard as everyone else, but they all seem to have a secret playbook I don't have access to."
Define Jobs to be Done
AnalysisWrite job statements for your customer:
Example JTBD
Functional: When I'm applying to internships, I want to know which companies hire first-gen students and when to apply, so I can focus my limited time on opportunities where I have a real chance.
Emotional: When I'm in the recruiting process, I want to feel confident and prepared, so I can perform my best in interviews without imposter syndrome holding me back.
Social: When I talk to my family about my career, I want to be seen as someone who made it, so I can justify their sacrifices and inspire my younger siblings.
Identify Your Early Adopters
StrategyDescribe who your early adopters are and how to find them:
Example Early Adopter Strategy
Early adopters are: First-gen sophomores/juniors actively applying to internships right now (not freshmen who haven't started, not seniors who've given up)
Signs: 1) They've applied to 20+ positions, 2) They're in first-gen student groups, 3) They've tried career services but felt it wasn't enough
Where: 1) First-gen student orgs at target schools, 2) r/FirstGenStudents subreddit, 3) LinkedIn posts about first-gen experiences
Outreach: Post in first-gen student groups offering free 1:1 help with internship applications, then learn from those conversations
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Deep customer understanding informs everything you build
- Personas help you think about specific people, not abstract "users"
- Customers hire products for functional, emotional, and social jobs
- Start with early adopters who urgently need a solution
- The more specific your customer definition, the better your product
🎉 Phase 1 Complete!
You've learned Problem Discovery. Test your knowledge before moving on!
Take Phase 1 Quiz →