Everyone talks about building products users love, but how do you uncover what people actually need—especially when your earliest assumptions are little more than educated guesses? Without a disciplined approach to discovering needs and validating them quickly, even the most promising product ideas can drift off course long before they reach the market.

Here’s a case study from the University of Michigan on how to conquer those early-stage roadblocks.

• The challenge: Mark Lindquist wanted to design digital tools to mitigate the impacts of climate change. While the vision was compelling, it lacked a prototype, user validation, and a clear commercialization pathway.
• The approach: Our team jumped in to help build the product’s technical readiness through a proof-of-concept application and a targeted product development plan.
  • We began by gathering insights from key opinion leaders and stakeholders to refine the product’s intended purpose and applications. This opened the door to developing a roadmap that provided a structured approach to navigating the complexities of product-market fit, hiring logistics, and funding strategies.
• The impact: With an alpha minimum viable product (MVP) and forward development plan in hand, Dr. Lindquist is now committed to building a company and commercializing the product. With a solid plan and continued support, his project has the potential to set a precedent for using technology to address environmental challenges.

The path to market isn’t a straight line. It’s a cycle of learning, testing, and refining. The organizations that win aren’t the ones with the flashiest ideas; they’re the ones that listen closely, adapt quickly, and let evidence—not assumptions—shape the product’s evolution.

Listen to the audio version of this case study here.