Problem Discovery Framework

Theoretical Foundation

Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)

Three universal human needs that drive motivation and wellbeing:

Human Need	Definition	Gospel Framing
Autonomy	Control over your life and choices	Agency — moral agency, stewardship
Competence	Growth, mastery, becoming more capable	Becoming — eternal progression, growing toward divine potential
Relatedness	Connection to others, belonging	Connection — covenant relationships, community

Core Insight

The user is always an individual. Households and organizations don’t click buttons — people do. SDT applies regardless of context (personal, household, or work).

Theory of the Firm

Organizations exist to create value and capture a portion of it (Brandenburger & Stuart 1996, Teece 2010).

The Work sub-domains map to these two goals:

Goal	Activities
Create Value	Discovering, Designing, Producing
Capture Value	Acquiring, Delivering, Retaining

B2B products solve friction at the intersection of an organizational activity and an employee’s unmet human need.

Opportunity Signals

Both frustration and delight are valid signals pointing to product opportunities:

Signal	Opportunity Type	Product Strategy
Frustration	Pain Reliever	Reduce friction; remove obstacles; solve problems
Delight	Gain Creator	Amplify joy; create more of what works; enhance experiences

Frustration AND Delight

Problems aren’t only about pain. A frustration points to a pain reliever product. A delight points to a gain creator product. Both are valid starting points.

Scoring

Opportunity Score (1–5 scales)

Score	Frequency	Intensity (Frustration)	Intensity (Delight)	Willingness to Pay	Market Size
1	Rarely	Shrug	Meh	Wouldn’t pay	Just me
2	Yearly	Minor annoyance	Mildly pleasant	Unlikely to pay	Small niche
3	Monthly	Annoying	Enjoyable	Might pay	Moderate group
4	Weekly	Frustrating	Love it	Probably would pay	Large segment
5	Daily	I hate this	Can’t live without	Already paying for solutions	Widespread

Conviction Score (0/1 checkboxes, sum of 4)

Column	Meaning
Personal Pain	You live this problem yourself
Close Relationship	Someone you love experiences this
Moral Calling	You believe it’s wrong that this problem exists
Unique Insight or Skills	You see something others don’t, or your skills position you to solve this

Sum	Level	Interpretation
0–1	Low	Weak foundation — reconsider
2	Moderate	Worth exploring further
3–4	High	Strong conviction to pursue

Technical Feasibility (0/1 checkboxes, sum of 3)

Column	Meaning
Data/API Access	I can get the data or API access I need
Technology Readiness	Tech is good enough to deliver a great experience
No Hardware or Regulatory Blockers	Does not require unavailable hardware or regulatory approval

Sum	Level	Interpretation
3	Clear	Clear path to build
1–2	Caution	Some challenges — have a plan
0	Blocked	Major concerns — reconsider or simplify

Gospel Framework

Three directional checks rooted in Self-Determination Theory and alignment with gospel principles:

Column	Gospel Root	Question
Expands Agency	Agency	Does my value proposition expand what users can do and choose?
Supports Becoming	Becoming	Does my value proposition help users genuinely grow?
Deepens Connection	Connection	Does my value proposition strengthen real relationships?

Key Principles

Not every product needs all three. Pure tools (Uber, Amazon) may only expand agency — that’s fine.
The question is directional. For the needs you DO touch, are you on the right side?
Design details matter. The same product type can be either beneficial or harmful.
Dependency is not inherently bad. Electricity creates dependency AND expands agency. The test is whether the dependency empowers or exploits.
Principles from D&C 121: Persuasion, long-suffering, love unfeigned — the relationship between product and user should be one of genuine service, not extraction.