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Pain Hypo

Map out the primary pains, root causes, and consequences.

Pain Hypothesis
Name your innovation opportunity
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We believe that:

Has a:

Which leads to:

Drill

Is it wanted PAK

Map out the primary pains, root causes, and consequences.

Pain Hypothesis
Name your innovation opportunity
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Hypothesis

Assumptions

Knowledge

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Additional Context

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Drill

SVA

Map out the primary pains, root causes, and consequences.

Pain Hypothesis
Name your innovation opportunity
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Hypothesis

Low

Impact

High

Low

Certanty

High

Tackle
First
Trust But
Verify
Validate if
Time Allows
Monitor
Periodically

Drill

Pain Hypo

Map out the primary pains, root causes, and consequences.

Pain Hypothesis
Name your innovation opportunity
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Old Hypothesis

We believe that:

Has a:

Which leads to:

Drill

AI focus group

Map out the primary pains, root causes, and consequences.

Pain Hypothesis
Name your innovation opportunity
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Hypothesis

Add a PDF file or an image with anything else you want the AI Focus Group to see so that they can discuss.

This could be a report, a presentation, a single image, multiple images, or any other content that you think would be helpful for the AI Focus Group to review.

Select and Upload File

Configure AI Focus Group

Run an AI Focus Group

Wanted Score

AI Focus Group

Feed your data to the model and let it do the work for you

Define Your Focus Group

Occupation(s) / Role(s)

Location(s)

Cancel Generate Personas

AI Focus Group Disclaimer

The AI Focus Group results are generated using AI-driven algorithms designed by SolveNext, based on open-source research by Microsoft and others. We utilize GPT-4 and GPT-4o from OpenAI, as well as Claude 3 and 3.5 from Antrhopic to generate these results.

Purpose:
The AI Focus Group aims to generate AI personas (also known as Synthetic Users in research) based on the data you provide:

A hypothesis to test
An occupation for the personas
An optional location

These AI personas then simulate a conversation using autonomous AI agents, powered by AutoGen, an open-source framework for Agentic AI.

Main Goal:
The primary objective is to gather insights on your introduced hypothesis from the generated AI personas. This process creates:

A qualitative summary from each persona and the overall conversation
A quantitative "Wanted Score" reflecting each AI persona's perception of "wanting" or "desiring" the proposed hypothesis
You can have access to the full conversation transcript of the AI Personas for further analysis

AI Persona generation:
How AI Personas are created
AI Persona generation - Image from Stefanode Paoli

AI Agent conversations: Auto Gen by Microsoft Research
AI Agent interactions - Image from Autogen

Research Foundation:
Our approach is primarily based on the following research:

"AutoGen: Enabling Next-Gen LLM Applications via Multi-Agent Conversation" by Quingyun Wu and others
"Creating Synthetic Users Research: Using Persona Prompting and Autonomous Agents" by Vincent Koc.
"Improved prompting and process for writing user personas with LLMs, using qualitative interviews: Capturing behaviour and personality traits of users" by Stefano De Paoli.
"There is a faster and more accurate way to do reaserch. Use Synthetic Users" by Synthetic Users

Important Considerations:

Use this tool as a supplementary resource, not as the sole basis for critical decisions.
The AI-generated results are based on the data you provide and may not be entirely accurate or complete.
SolveNext is not liable for actions taken based on the AI's outputs. Always apply your own judgment when interpreting these results.

Drill

Pain Hypo

Map out the primary pains, root causes, and consequences.

Pain Hypothesis
Name your innovation opportunity
AI Assist
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Read Instructions

Old Hypothesis

We believe that:

Has a:

Which leads to:

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Potential Innovation Opportunity ^*

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What can you tell us about your industry?

What can you tell us about the problem you're trying to solve?

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Pain Hypo

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Allocated time

20 mins

Modality

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When to use

Description

The Pain Hypo Drill is a strategic tool to articulate and validate pain hypotheses for various constituents. It assesses specific pains’ prevalence, severity, and consequences to guide decision-making on potential innovation opportunities.

When to Use This Drill

Utilize this drill when you need to explore which problems and pains might matter most to a given constituent—and why. It is particularly useful when pursuing a new opportunity or refining the focus of ongoing projects.

Recommended For

Leaders and teams in strategic planning
Innovation managers evaluating new opportunities
Teams defining solution requirements

Drill Objectives

To articulate pain points for target constituents
To validate the significance of these pain points through a structured evaluation process

Useful Inputs

Constituent profiles and prior research
Existing feedback or data on constituent challenges
Insights from previous drills, such as the Strategic x Urgent Drill or Feel My Pain Drill

Outcomes

A list of constituent pain points for validation
Prioritized pain hypotheses based on their strategic impact and urgency
Clear guidance on which opportunities are worth pursuing

Step 1. Introduce the Pain Hypo Drill
Explain its purpose and importance in the innovation process.

Step 2. Complete Pain Hypo Worksheets or Posters
For each constituent:

We believe that: [Identify constituent]
Has a: [Describe their pain or problem]
Which leads to: [Describe consequences]

Step 3. Score each Pain Hypothesis
Use the following scoring rubric:
Prevalence of Pain

Large (3) >75% affected
Medium (2) ~50% affected
Small (1) <25% affected

Severity of Pain

Large (3) = Extremely painful and debilitating
Medium (2) = Very painful, cannot be ignored, but can be managed
Small (1) = Annoying but can be ignored

Consequences of Pain

Large (3) = Extremely costly, presents an existential risk
Medium (2) = Very costly, not sustainable long-term
Small (1) = Annoying but can be borne

Step 4. Sum the points across the three categories.

The total will range from 3 to 9.

Step 5. Normalize to a 1-5 Scale

Use the following formula to normalize the score:

Normalized Score = 1 + ((Total Score – 3) / 6 ) x 4

Step 6. Discuss and Share the Results
Share with the group to gather insights and refine understanding.

Step 7. Prioritize or Deprioritize Hypotheses
Apply Color-Coded Thresholds:

Red (1.0-2.0): Do not pursue the opportunity
Yellow (2.1-3.5): Explore pain and problem further
Green (3.6-5.0): Strongly consider pursuing

Encourage diverse and inclusive participation to capture a broad spectrum of insights.
Ensure clarity in the articulation of pain points to accurately assess their impact.
Use insights from this drill to feed into subsequent strategic discussions or innovation planning sessions.

Helpful AI Prompts

“Based on the scores, which pain points should be prioritized and why?”
“Can AI suggest additional data or research that might influence our understanding of these pain points?”
“How do these pain points align with our strategic goals and the needs of our constituents?”

When to use the Drill

How to introduce the Drill

Tips for facilitating the Drill

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A Solve Next Original

Is It Wanted PAK

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Allocated time

30 mins

Modality

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When to use

Use when you want to validate if the solution you're developing is genuinely wanted or needed by the target audience or market.

Outcomes

Identification of the target audience's desire or need for the solution.
Clarification of presumptions, assumptions, and knowledge about the solution's demand.
Prioritized focus on the most critical aspects that indicate the solution's desirability.

Step 1.
Introduce the Is It Wanted PAK Drill, explaining the purpose of validating whether the solution is needed.

Step 2.
Have participants define the Wanted Hypothesis: why they believe the solution is needed, and by whom.

Step 3.
Ask participants to identify what they presume, assume, and know about the need or desire for their solution.

Wanted Presumptions (e.g., "10 years from now very few people will use Instagram.")
Wanted Assumptions (e.g., "The Instagram user population is shrinking.")
Wanted Knowledge (e.g., "Instagram users increased 12.2% from April 2022–2023.")
How they know (e.g., DataReportal.com article, Essential Instagram Statistics and Trends for 2023, etc.)

Step 4.
Encourage participants to critically evaluate the validity of their presumptions, assumptions, and knowledge, prioritizing and organizing them.

Define Presumptions, Assumptions, and Knowledge.
For our purposes, a presumption is an untestable assumption.
An assumption is something that we believe to be true and can test to become more certain about our belief.
Knowledge is a validated or proven assumption. We encourage innovators to gather their own data rather than to rely upon anecdotes, alternative data, or untested assumptions.

Get Specific: Push participants to provide concrete evidence for their presumptions, assumptions, and knowledge. For example, if the assumption is that a particular feature will be popular, encourage them to identify specific user feedback or data supporting this.
Challenge Assumptions: Encourage participants to challenge their own assumptions by asking questions like, ”How can we test this assumption?“ or “What evidence contradicts this?”
Explore Beyond the Obvious: Ask participants to go beyond surface-level understanding. For example, instead of a broad presumption like “People want healthy food,” encourage more specific framing of assumptions, for example: “Busy professionals want convenient, healthy meal options.”
Use Real-world Scenarios: Encourage participants to apply the drill to actual use cases for the solution. For example, if developing a new educational platform, consider real teachers, students, and administrators' wants and needs at specific moments in time, not just hypothetical ones.

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SVA

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Allocated time

30 mins

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When to use

In discovery-driven development, innovation is propelled by assumptions. The SVA Drill is a strategic tool tailored to prioritize these assumptions related to innovation opportunities. By employing a 2x2 sorter, this drill helps innovators evaluate assumptions based on certainty and impact, ensuring teams rapidly concentrate on the most consequential assumptions for testing, optimizing the chance of successful innovation.

When to Use This Drill

During Assumption Generation. When a new assumption emerges in the discovery-driven development process, utilize the SVA Drill to evaluate its significance. This ensures that no assumption goes unexamined, and the most crucial ones are immediately identified.
Before Resource Allocation. Before dedicating significant resources or making critical decisions, ensure that all vital assumptions have been addressed and validated.
Strategy Calibration. In strategy sessions where the direction of the innovation is being outlined or revised, the SVA Drill helps identify potential roadblocks and opportunities.
Next Cycle Checkpoints. At different stages and steps of the Next Cycle, to reassess the validity and importance of existing assumptions and potentially introduce new ones.

Drill Objectives

Strategically rank assumptions based on their perceived validity and their potential ramifications.
Highlight which assumptions warrant immediate validation.
Offer clear navigational guidance for the subsequent phases of the discovery-driven journey.

Helpful Inputs

A comprehensive list of current assumptions associated with the project.
Insights and feedback from brainstorming sessions, stakeholder interactions, and SASU feedback.
Tools for visualizing and organizing information (e.g., whiteboards, markers, sticky notes).

Outcomes

A categorized list of assumptions with the highest priority ones earmarked for swift exploration.
Amplified clarity and direction for teams navigating the uncharted territories of innovation.
Risk mitigation as crucial assumptions are brought to light and tested early.

Step 1. Gather Assumptions
Collect all the assumptions related to the innovation opportunity. Regular brainstorming and SASU feedback sessions can aid in this.

Step 2. Understand Sorting Space
Make the team familiar with:

Certainty—how certain are we about this assumption?
Impact—what’s its potential influence on the opportunity’s outcome?

Step 3. Organize Assumptions
Position each assumption considering your certainty about it (x-axis = Certainty) and its importance to the opportunity’s outcome (y-axis = Impact).

Assumptions will fall in one of the following quadrants:

Trust But Verify (High Certainty/High Impact) Assumptions you have strong faith in and which carry significant weight for the project. Monitor and validate.
Tackle First (Low Certainty/High Impact) Assumptions that can make or break the project, but there’s uncertainty about their validity. Immediately validate.
Monitor Periodically (High Certainty/Low Impact) Well-trusted assumptions that don’t shift the project’s trajectory. Monitor.
Low Certainty, Low Impact: Assumptions with questionable certainty and lesser consequence. Address later or if dynamics shift.

Step 4. Prioritize & Strategize
Prioritize small bets to test Low Certainty/High Impact assumptions.

Step 5. Regularly Reassess
Certainty is ever-evolving in discovery-driven development. Use the SVADrill to stay focused on the assumptions that matter most to the success of the innovation opportunity.

Encourage open dialogue and diverse perspectives to understand each assumption comprehensively.
Use visual tools effectively to enhance understanding and participation.
Be prepared to adapt the approach based on the dynamic nature of assumptions and project needs.

Helpful AI Prompts

“List potential assumptions in [specific area/opportunity] that must be addressed.”
“Generate criteria for evaluating the impact of assumptions on our opportunity’s outcome.”
“Suggest strategies for validating ‘Tackle First’ assumptions effectively and efficiently.”

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A Solve Next original.

Pain Hypo (2nd iteration Wanted?)

Overview Instructions Tips Examples Images Videos Attribution Related drills

Practice

Move Fast

Allocated time

30 mins

Modality

Team

Rating

unrated (0)

When to use

Description

When to Use This Drill

Recommended For

Leaders and teams in strategic planning
Innovation managers evaluating new opportunities
Teams defining solution requirements

Drill Objectives

To articulate pain points for target constituents
To validate the significance of these pain points through a structured evaluation process

Useful Inputs

Constituent profiles and prior research
Existing feedback or data on constituent challenges
Insights from previous drills, such as the Strategic x Urgent Drill or Feel My Pain Drill

Outcomes

A list of constituent pain points for validation
Prioritized pain hypotheses based on their strategic impact and urgency
Clear guidance on which opportunities are worth pursuing

Step 1. Introduce the Pain Hypo Drill
Explain its purpose and importance in the innovation process.

Step 2. Complete Pain Hypo Worksheets or Posters
For each constituent:

We believe that: [Identify constituent]
Has a: [Describe their pain or problem]
Which leads to: [Describe consequences]

Step 3. Score each Pain Hypothesis
Use the following scoring rubric:
Prevalence of Pain

Large (3) >75% affected
Medium (2) ~50% affected
Small (1) <25% affected

Severity of Pain

Large (3) = Extremely painful and debilitating
Medium (2) = Very painful, cannot be ignored, but can be managed
Small (1) = Annoying but can be ignored

Consequences of Pain

Large (3) = Extremely costly, presents an existential risk
Medium (2) = Very costly, not sustainable long-term
Small (1) = Annoying but can be borne

Step 4. Sum the points across the three categories.

The total will range from 3 to 9.

Step 5. Normalize to a 1-5 Scale

Use the following formula to normalize the score:

Normalized Score = 1 + ((Total Score – 3) / 6 ) x 4

Step 6. Discuss and Share the Results
Share with the group to gather insights and refine understanding.

Step 7. Prioritize or Deprioritize Hypotheses
Apply Color-Coded Thresholds:

Red (1.0-2.0): Do not pursue the opportunity
Yellow (2.1-3.5): Explore pain and problem further
Green (3.6-5.0): Strongly consider pursuing

Encourage diverse and inclusive participation to capture a broad spectrum of insights.
Ensure clarity in the articulation of pain points to accurately assess their impact.
Use insights from this drill to feed into subsequent strategic discussions or innovation planning sessions.

Helpful AI Prompts

“Based on the scores, which pain points should be prioritized and why?”
“Can AI suggest additional data or research that might influence our understanding of these pain points?”
“How do these pain points align with our strategic goals and the needs of our constituents?”

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unrated (0)

Leave your rating

A Solve Next Original

Ai Focus Group

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Practice

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Allocated time

20 mins

Modality

Team

Rating

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When to use

Give a Pain or Solution Hypothesis as input
Then, create 5 personas inputting the occupation, location and age range to have AI assist you in creating a full description of a synthetic user.
The we will generate a conversation between those personas where they will be led by a synthetic researcher.
The output of this conversation is a SASU for each of the personas created, plus a wanted score between 1 and 5 of the proposed pain or solution hypothesis.

Outcomes

A SASU (I like, I wish, I wonder) per every persona defined, plus a wanted score from 1 to 5, 1 being I don't want this at all, to 5 being I really want this a.s.a.p.

Generate the personas, and then ask AI to conduct the focus group

You will receive a sASU per each persona, and a conversation summary of 5 bullet points of the most important touched subjects.

If you want you can see the full transcript of the conversation.

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A Solve Next Original

Pain Hypo (3rd iteration - Wanted?)

Overview Instructions Tips Examples Images Videos Attribution Related drills

Practice

Move Fast

Allocated time

30 mins

Modality

Team

Rating

unrated (0)

When to use

Description

When to Use This Drill

Recommended For

Leaders and teams in strategic planning
Innovation managers evaluating new opportunities
Teams defining solution requirements

Drill Objectives

To articulate pain points for target constituents
To validate the significance of these pain points through a structured evaluation process

Useful Inputs

Constituent profiles and prior research
Existing feedback or data on constituent challenges
Insights from previous drills, such as the Strategic x Urgent Drill or Feel My Pain Drill

Outcomes

A list of constituent pain points for validation
Prioritized pain hypotheses based on their strategic impact and urgency
Clear guidance on which opportunities are worth pursuing

Step 1. Introduce the Pain Hypo Drill
Explain its purpose and importance in the innovation process.

Step 2. Complete Pain Hypo Worksheets or Posters
For each constituent:

We believe that: [Identify constituent]
Has a: [Describe their pain or problem]
Which leads to: [Describe consequences]

Step 3. Score each Pain Hypothesis
Use the following scoring rubric:
Prevalence of Pain

Large (3) >75% affected
Medium (2) ~50% affected
Small (1) <25% affected

Severity of Pain

Large (3) = Extremely painful and debilitating
Medium (2) = Very painful, cannot be ignored, but can be managed
Small (1) = Annoying but can be ignored

Consequences of Pain

Large (3) = Extremely costly, presents an existential risk
Medium (2) = Very costly, not sustainable long-term
Small (1) = Annoying but can be borne

Step 4. Sum the points across the three categories.

The total will range from 3 to 9.

Step 5. Normalize to a 1-5 Scale

Use the following formula to normalize the score:

Normalized Score = 1 + ((Total Score – 3) / 6 ) x 4

Step 6. Discuss and Share the Results
Share with the group to gather insights and refine understanding.

Step 7. Prioritize or Deprioritize Hypotheses
Apply Color-Coded Thresholds:

Red (1.0-2.0): Do not pursue the opportunity
Yellow (2.1-3.5): Explore pain and problem further
Green (3.6-5.0): Strongly consider pursuing

Encourage diverse and inclusive participation to capture a broad spectrum of insights.
Ensure clarity in the articulation of pain points to accurately assess their impact.
Use insights from this drill to feed into subsequent strategic discussions or innovation planning sessions.

Helpful AI Prompts

“Based on the scores, which pain points should be prioritized and why?”
“Can AI suggest additional data or research that might influence our understanding of these pain points?”
“How do these pain points align with our strategic goals and the needs of our constituents?”

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Pain Hypo

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Is it wanted PAK

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Tackle First

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AI focus group

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Pain Hypo

Name your innovation opportunity

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We believe that:

Has a:

Which leads to:

Tackle
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Trust But
Verify

Validate if
Time Allows

Monitor
Periodically