Charity product model canvas – iteration 3
About the canvas
Start in the middle
“Who are you trying to help?” puts users at the centre. Without a clearly defined user or group of users it’s almost impossible to to answer any of the other problem/solution questions.
Problem side
“What problem are you trying to solve?” helps focus in on the problem that group of users has that is big enough to need a solution.
“What challenges stop people solving the problem in other ways?” makes you think more broadly, consider the context, and understand other solutions and how satisfactory they are. Without this, there is the risk of building a solution no one will use.
“How will people find the solution?” is about acquisition and marketing, because without knowing how people will find the solution, it’s unlikely they will and so it won’t be used.
“How will people access the solution?” prompts thinking about which channels the solution will be delivered over.
Solution side
“What might things look like if the problem was solved?” provides a guiding outcome that people could experience if the solution works.
“How might you be able to solve the problem?” is the space for possible solutions that
“What will you need to be able to solve the problem?” lists the resources necessary to build the solutions and acts as a reality check. If those resources aren’t available then the solution can be re-thought to be within the available resources.
Using the canvas
As with all canvases, completing it isn’t a linear process of going from one box to the next. Defining who you are trying to help is a good place to start, but as things are added to each box it should prompt ideas of things to add to other boxes and question things that have already been added.
The exercise of completing a canvas is to prompt questions, challenge assumptions, and iterate on ideas until a shared understanding is reached. Many things on the canvas might start out as best guesses but should be validated throughout the product development process so the canvas represents the reality of the problem and solution. The more not-yet validated assumptions the canvas has, the less likely the product will succeed.
If the problem-side boxes can’t be fully answered, then the problem isn’t well understood and needs research to understand it better.
If the solution-side boxes can’t be fully answered, then the solution needs prototyping and feedback to be validated.
Previous iterations: