Customer Development
Andy Rachleff
Founder & CEO
Those who can’t do, teach.
Customers    Managers
  (Demand)    (Supply)
Always start with a
  measureable customer
      hypothesis

(It’s just the scientific method applied to business)
Our First Version (The Concierge Model)
Lesson #1




      Crawl before you walk.

   (Pencil & paper can be just as valuable as software)
2
4
1
5
Lesson #2




 Understand the most important
   attribute of your product.
            (For us, it’s simplicity)
6
7
8
9
10
11
Lesson #3




 You don’t need a designer to do
     customer development.

        (It’s better to have a “UX developer”)
11
Lesson #4




      Not everyone should
         like your idea.

            (Don’t be afraid to take risks)
Lessons Learned

 Crawl before you walk

 Understand the most important attribute of your product

 You don’t need to be a designer to do customer development

 Not everyone should like your idea
The Most Important Lesson




       During the discovery phase,
    it’s more important to learn and
         iterate than to execute.

Andy Rachleff, Wealthfront Presentation at Lean Startup SXSW

Editor's Notes

  • #6 build
  • #12 Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.- Leonardo da Vinci
  • #19 Highlight the percentages (some customers wanted to change their allocation, they aren’t our clients)
  • #21 Highlight the percentages (some customers wanted to change their allocation, they aren’t our clients)