Mis3

Welcome to week three. This week, your

goal is to step outside the building,

figuratively or literally, and

talk to real users. You'll use what

you learn to synthesize key

patterns and insights that will guide

your product. Customer discovery is not about confirming

your idea. It's about

challenging it. Look for the moments

when users say something unexpected

or when their actions reveal something deeper

than their words. For this assignment,

you'll add six to eight slides to your

venture deck. You'll summarize your research

Highlight three four key insights

And identify the most important problem and

pain points your MVP should address Use

quotes in real language Back up your insights

with what you heard Include a jobs-to-be

-done statement And identify two to four

pain points your MVP should solve This

is one of the most important moments in

your project A strong synthesis now leads

to a better MVP later

Introduction

In this assignment, you'll begin building your project presentation by documenting what you've learned about your target customer and their most important problem. You’ll share the hypotheses you started with, explain your discovery research process, and present the insights you’ve gathered from real conversations. The goal is to demonstrate that you are solving a real, important problem for a clearly defined customer, backed by evidence, not guesses.

You’ll also begin to narrow in on the core job your customer is trying to accomplish, and which pain points your MVP will need to address.

Review the following video for this assignment. (Transcript attached)

Format and Expectations

This assignment should be a visual PDF presentation that builds your presentation over time. Think of it as a pitch-in-progress.

You can design your slides in Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Figma, or any tool you like—just export to PDF before submitting. Keep the design clean and easy to follow. Utilize visuals, charts, frameworks, and quotes to effectively convey your insights. You’ll continue adding to this same presentation in future assignments, refining your thinking each week.

Instructions

Use 6–8 slides to tell a clear and compelling story. Visuals, frameworks, and quotes are encouraged! Your presentation should include the following.

1. Startup Concept (1 slide)

· Begin with a concise statement describing your startup concept. What’s your idea, and who is it for? Think of this as your current hypothesis about the business you're building. It doesn't have to be perfect or final—just a clear articulation of your working idea at this point in time.

2. Hypothesized Persona (1 slide)

· Create a visual slide introducing the persona you initially believed would benefit most from your product. Include basic demographic and psychographic information: who they are, what they care about, and what context they're in when they encounter the problem. You can use a visual persona template if you'd like. Also explain why you chose to focus on this group—what made them compelling or underserved?

3. Problem Statement (1 slide)

· Clearly define the most important problem your target persona is experiencing. The statement should be user-centered, specific, and grounded in a real need or frustration. Then, explain why this is the most important problem for your user. What makes this pain point worth solving—from an emotional, functional, or situational perspective? This should reflect your current understanding after early discovery.

4. Discovery Research Approach (1-2 slides)

· Outline how you conducted your customer discovery. What method(s) did you use—interviews, surveys, shadowing, observations? How many people did you talk to, and how did you find them? What questions did you explore, and why? Summarize the overall approach and provide any context that helps the reader understand the credibility and limitations of your findings.

5. Key Customer Insights (1–2 slides)

· Identify 3–4 meaningful insights that emerged from your research. For each insight, include:

· A short headline that captures the essence of the insight

· A real quote or common pattern that supports it

· A reflection on what you learned that surprised you

· These insights should go beyond surface-level preferences and touch on real behavior, emotion, or unmet needs. If a discovery changed your mind or challenged your assumptions, highlight that—it’s a sign of good research.

6. Core Job-To-Be-Done + Pain Points (1 slide)

· Summarize your user’s goal using a “Jobs To Be Done” statement: “When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].”

· This should represent the core functional or emotional job your user is trying to accomplish. Then, list 2–4 key pain points your MVP should aim to solve. These pain points should be specific, actionable, and rooted in your discovery insights—not guesses.

Tips for Success

· Your job is to prove that a real, painful, specific problem exists—not to pitch a solution yet.

· Be visual. Use persona templates, journey maps, quotes, icons, or diagrams to bring your findings to life.

· Don’t worry about perfection. Show how you're learning and refining your ideas with evidence.

· You will continue to build on this project presentation, so focus on getting the foundational thinking right now.

BASED ON PREVIOUS WORK