Discovery experiments are a way to explore customer jobs, pains, gains, and willingness to pay. They are ideal for gaining qualitative insights into the fit between a value proposition and a customer segment. They are not, however, a substitute for what people will do. There are several types of discovery experiments, including [[customer interview|customer]] and [[stakeholder interview|stakeholder interviews]], [[A Day in the Life]], [[discovery survey|discovery surveys]], [[email campaign]], [[social media campaign]], [[search trend analysis]], [[web traffic analysis]], [[discussion forums]], [[link tracking]], [[explainer video]], [[pretend-to-own]], [[3D print]], [[paper prototype]], [[datasheet|datasheets]], and [[brochure]]. [[customer interview|Customer interviews]] are a fundamental method for exploring customer needs and assessing the alignment of a value proposition. These interviews involve preparing a script to learn about customer tasks, challenges, and benefits, as well as their willingness to purchase and any unmet needs. The process includes finding interviewees, conducting the interviews, and analyzing the results to update the value proposition canvas. It is recommended to conduct interviews in pairs, with one person asking questions and the other taking notes. Other discovery methods help explore unmet needs, challenges, and benefits through different perspectives. “[[A Day in the Life]]” involves customer ethnography to understand customer tasks, challenges, and benefits through observation. [[discovery survey|Discovery surveys]] use open-ended questionnaires to gather information from a sample of customers, helping to uncover elements of the value proposition. [[search trend analysis|Search trend analysis]] uses search data to investigate interactions among online searchers, search engines, or content during searching episodes for market research and trend identification. Discovery experiments provide valuable insights but have limitations in predicting actual customer behavior. The key lesson is that while these methods are effective for exploring and understanding customer needs and potential value propositions, they should be paired with [[Validation experiments|validation experiments]] that measure actual customer behavior. The transition from discovery to validation experiments is important in the innovation process. While discovery experiments help generate ideas and understand customer needs, validation experiments test assumptions and hypotheses derived from the discovery phase to determine which ideas are most likely to succeed. Next: [[Validation experiments]] Back to: [[Testing Business Model Hypotheses]]