nw-opportunity-mapping

Opportunity mapping connects customer outcomes to actionable solutions using OST and JTBD frameworks. It structures discovery by mapping interview insights to opportunities, scoring each gap, and guiding solution generation to ensure prioritization aligns with customer needs.

The Opportunity Scoring Algorithm prioritizes features by evaluating the importance and satisfaction levels of specific customer outcomes. It calculates an opportunity score to identify high-impact gaps, helping product teams focus on underserved needs during feature planning and strategy reviews.

You can use Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) universal job map steps to understand customer progress and Lean Canvas to structure your business model. Applying these frameworks together during strategy reviews clarifies customer motivations and aligns opportunity prioritization with business viability.

You should use Opportunity Solution Tree (OST) mapping for product optimization when you need a structured method to validate that your feature ideas directly support desired customer outcomes. OST prevents teams from jumping to solutions without first identifying high-priority opportunity gaps to solve.

Opportunity mapping relies heavily on mapping interview insights to specific opportunities and scoring them using the Opportunity Algorithm. Without prior customer interview data to define desired outcomes and current satisfaction levels, the scoring and prioritization process cannot accurately identify high-impact gaps.

The best way to structure problem understanding and solution validation is to apply a Technique Selection Guide alongside OST and JTBD frameworks. This approach systematically maps customer jobs, scores opportunities based on market gaps, and iterates through Lean Canvas workflows to validate solution viability.