Value proposition canvas

Value proposition canvas#

Definition — Value model canvas

A value proposition canvas is a visual description of our customer segments, and our value propositions to solve the customers’ problems.

Fig. 15 The structure of a value proposition canvas. Source: reproduced from https://www.strategyzer.com/#

Fig. 15 shows the structure of a value proposition model. It contains two parts:

A customer profile, which describes the customers within a single segment, including their problems.
A value map, which describes the value propositions that potential solutions bring to that segment.

Value proposition canvases are used to define the value propositions and customer segments of a business model canvas. Effectively, for every segment, we map the segment to the value propositions that solve that segment’s programs. Therefore, there can be multiple value proposition canvases in a single business model:

A business model canvas with several value proposition canvases sitting inside

The four types of startup markets#

When we are starting up a new product or company, there a four broad types markets:

Entering an existing market: The market is well-established and we are simply providing something with a different slant.
Creating an entirely new market: There is currently no market and we are establishing it.
Re-segment an existing market as a low-cost provider: There is a well-established market, and we are providing a surface at a lower price than competitors.
Re-segment an existing market as a niche player: There is a well-established market, and we are appealing to a niche part of the market via e.g. higher quality.

The features of a product are driven by how well they satisfy a market: the product/market fit. Larger companies tend to be market-driven, while startups tend to be product-driven.

Customer profile#

Fig. 16 The structure of a customer profile. Source: reproduced from https://www.strategyzer.com/#

Customer jobs: Trigger questions[1]#

What is the one thing that your customer couldn’t live without accomplishing? What are the stepping stones that could help your customer achieve this key job?
What are the different contexts that your customers might be in? How do their activities and goals change depending on these different contexts?
What does your customer need to accomplish that involves interaction with others?
What tasks are your customers trying to perform in their work or personal life? What functional problems are your customers trying to solve?
Are there problems that you think customers have that they may not even be aware of?
What emotional needs are your customers trying to satisfy? What jobs, if completed, would give the user a sense of self-satisfaction?
How does your customer want to be perceived by others? What can your customer do to help themselves be perceived this way?
How does your customer want to feel? What does your customer need to do to feel this way?
Track your customer’s interaction with a product or service throughout its lifespan. What supporting jobs surface throughout this life cycle? Does the user switch roles throughout this process?

Customer pains: Trigger questions[1]#

How do your customers define too costly? Takes a lot of time, costs too much money, or requires substantial efforts?
What makes your customers feel bad? What are their frustrations, annoyances, or things that give them a headache?
How are current value propositions under-performing for your customers? Which features are they missing? Are there performance issues that annoy them or malfunctions they cite?
What are the main difficulties and challenges your customers encounter? Do they understand how things work, have difficulties getting certain things done, or resist particular jobs for specific reasons?
What negative social consequences do your customers encounter or fear? Are they afraid of a loss of face, power, trust, or status?
What risks do your customers fear? Are they afraid of financial, social, or technical risks, or are they asking themselves what could go wrong?
What’s keeping your customers awake at night? What are their big issues, concerns, and worries?
What common mistakes do your customers make? Are they using a solution the wrong way?
What barriers are keeping your customers from adopting a value proposition? Are there upfront investment costs, a steep learning curve, or other obstacles preventing adoption?

Customer gains: Trigger questions[1]#

Which savings would make your customers happy? Which savings in terms of time, money, and effort would they value?
What quality levels do they expect, and what would they wish for more or less of?
How do current value propositions delight your customers? Which specific features do they enjoy? What performance and quality do they expect?
What would make your customers’ jobs or lives easier? Could there be a flatter learning curve, more services, or lower costs of ownership?
What positive social consequences do your customers desire? What makes them look good? What increases their power or their status?
What are customers looking for most? Are they searching for good design, guarantees, specific or more features?
What do customers dream about? What do they aspire to achieve, or what would be a big relief to them?
How do your customers measure success and failure? How do they gauge performance or cost?
What would increase your customers’ likelihood of adopting a value proposition? Do they desire lower cost, less investment, lower risk, or better quality?

Prioritisation#

Once we have a list of jobs, pains and gains, we prioritise them:

Rank the jobs: what are the high-value jobs?
Rank the gains: what is the relevance of the gain?
Rank the pains: what is the significance of the pain?

Value map#

Pain relievers: Trigger questions[1]#

Could your product:

produce savings? In terms of time, money, or efforts.
make your customers feel better? By killing frustrations, annoyances, and other things that give customers a headache.
fix under-performing solutions? By introducing new features, better performance, or enhanced quality.
put an end to difficulties and challenges your customers encounter? By making things easier or eliminating obstacles.
wipe out negative social consequences your customers encounter or fear? In terms of loss of face or lost power, trust, or status.
eliminate risks your customers fear? In terms of financial, social, technical risks, or things that could potentially go wrong.
help your customers better sleep at night? By addressing significant issues, diminishing concerns, or eliminating worries.
limit or eradicate common mistakes customers make? By helping them use a solution the right way.
eliminate barriers that are keeping your customer from adopting value propositions? Introducing lower or no upfront investment costs, a flatter learning curve, or eliminating other obstacles preventing adoption.

Gain Creators: Trigger Questions[1]#

Could your product:

create savings that please your customers? In terms of time, money, and effort.
produce outcomes your customers expect or that exceed their expectations? By offering quality levels, more of something, or less of something.
outperform current value propositions and delight your customers? Regarding specific features, performance, or quality.
make your customers’ work or life easier? Via better usability, accessibility, more services, or lower cost of ownership.
create positive social consequences? By making them look good or producing an increase in power or status.
do something specific that customers are looking for? In terms of good design, guarantees, or specific or more features.
fulfil a desire customers dream about? By helping them achieve their aspirations or getting relief from a hardship?
produce positive outcomes matching your customers’ success and failure criteria? In terms of better performance or lower cost

Six ways to innovate from a customer profile#

Alex Osterwalder outlines six ways to innovate from customer profiles[1]:

Strategy	Explanation
Address more jobs?	Can we help customers complete more jobs in their day?
More important jobs?	Can we help customers do something more valuable?
Beyond functional jobs?	Can we help customers create value by fulfilling important social and emotional jobs?
Help more customers?	Can we help more customers by making jobs easier or cheaper?
Do a job better?	Can we help customers do a higher quality on existing jobs?

Interviews#

Interviewing people in our target markets are a key source of data to help us identify potential value propositions, and to check our assumptions early.

Ground rules for interviewing customers#

Ground rule	Explanation
Adopt a beginner’s mindset	Listen with a “fresh pair of ears”.
	Ask for clarification instead of assuming what the interviewee means.
	Explore things that you did not expect.
Listen more than you talk	Listen, don’t tell.
	Do not talk about what you believe.
	Clarify misunderstandings, but don’t try to convince.
Ask open-ended questions	Don’t ask ‘Do you…?’ – this leads to yes/no answers that give minimal insight
	Do ‘ask’: “Tell me about the last time that you … “
Get facts, not opinions	Don’t ask “Would you … ?”
	Do ask “How much did you … ?”
Ask “why” questions	Motivation matters and helps uncover new facts.
	Ask: “Why do you need … ?”, “Why is this a pain?”
Don’t sell	We are not interviewing to sell a solution.
	Don’t explain our solution: “Wouldn’t you like … ?”
	Ask: “What are the most painful … ?”
Follow up	Ask for contact details.
	Follow up with more questions if we need to later.
Always open doors at the end	Ask: “Who else should I talk to?”
	Always!

Crafting interview questions#

Identify a good set of questions to gather insight is key to innovation.

As part of our project on emergency alarms for older people, we gathered data using interviews from four different segments:

Older people who had existing emergency alarms.
Older people who had never had an emergency alarm.
Families of older people.
Existing emergency alarm companies.

In this section, we give some examples for the first segment—older people who had an existing emergency alarm with pendant, necklace, or wrist band, and a base station.

Step 1: Define your goals

It is good practive to first list the goals for interviews — what do you want to learn?

Example – Goals for interviews

For our segment of older people who have an existing emergency alarm, our goals were:

Learn how older adults actually use and experience the alarm system day-to-day.
Understand their feelings of safety, trust, and any challenges with the alarm.
Explore their support network and other ways they stay safe at home.

We can see here that the focus is not just on the alarm itself, but their experience, their feelings (safety, trust), and the larger ecosystem that they use for safety.

Step 2: Define your questions

Then, define a set of questions to achieve your goals. There is no fixed amount – it depends what you want to learn. However, we want to respect our participants by not taking up too much time, and not probing into personal details unless truly necessary.

Example interview questions – Medical alert system: Older people with an existing alarm

Do I have your consent to record this interview? I will automatically transcribe it and analyse the transcript later. You can choose not to answer questions, stop at any time, and ask me to delete the recording.
Can you tell me the story of how you decided to get the alarm system?
Can you tell me about the last time you used the pendant alarm? What happened, and what was it like for you?

If they haven’t used it: If you ever needed to use the alarm, how do you imagine it would help you?

Follow-up for all: Are there any ways you worry it might not work as expected?
Can you walk me through what usually happens each morning with the green button? Have there ever been times you forgot to press it — can you tell me what that was like?
How does having the alarm affect your day-to-day life? Why?
Have you ever had a time when the alarm company contacted you? Can you tell me what that was like?
When it comes to staying safe at home, how involved is your family?
What other ways do you use to stay safe at home, besides the alarm?
Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you think we should know about using the alarm?
Who else do you think I should talk to?

We can see that these questions are open-ended, focus on factual things mostly, plus some subjective experience. There are very few ‘why’ questions, but these are more prominent as follow-up questions later during the interview.

Importantly, these are interview questions early in the project when discovering our customers pain points, etc. – they do NOT ask about any solution ideas that we have.

Example of bad interview questions – Medical alert system: Older people with an existing alarm

Here is an example of interview questions that will do a really poor job of gaining insight into your customers. These questions are the same theme as the previous nine, but simply don’t offer the same amount of exploration.

I’m recording this, ok? (Does not give the participant a clear opportunity to decline.)
Why did you get the alarm system? (Too broad and can lead to vague answers. Does not encourage a story.)
Have you used the pendant alarm before? (Closed question that invites a yes/no answer and shuts down deeper discussion.)
Do you press the green button every day? (Closed question that invites a yes/no answer and does not ask for detail or context.)
Tell me why you find the alarm helpful. (Leading question (assumes the alarm is helpful) and vague (invites opinion without depth).)
When the alarm company calls you, do you usually answer? (Closed question that invites a yes/no answer, does not ask about feelings or stories.)
Does your family help you with the alarm? (Closed question that invites a yes/no answer, and does not get detail about how family is involved.)
Do you prefer the alarm or other safety methods? (losed question that invites a yes/no answer, and is a forced choice, no nuance.)
Is there anything else you want to add? (Vague prompt that often gets a no.)
Can you give me the names of others with alarms? (May feel intrusive, and closed as does not consider them to think of family, people without alarms, etc.)

Finding and approaching customers for interviews#

Once we have the interview questions, we need to find potential customers and discuss with them.

Step 1: Find customers! This may involve cold-calling/emailing people in companies/organisations, such as a CIO or a potential user. For some projects, this could simply approaching people in public—for example, if innovating in the rental market, approaching people waiting at a rental inspection would be perfect.

Step 2: Ask them for their time. This is often the most difficult step for people new to interviewing, but it quite straightforward. There are two parts to this:

a. Start by asking for their help/time. b. Then explain why.

Don’t start with explaining why— just straight out ask them and don’t hide detail.

Example — Approaching an enterprise customer via email.

Dear . Would you be open to a 15 minute Zoom call in the next week to discuss ? Ny name is and I’m the in a startup that is innovating in the sector and would like to learn about your experience on to better understand the challenges and opportunities in this area. <etc. etc> I’m happy to work around your schedule.

Example — Approaching a customer in public.

Hi. My name is . I was wondering if you have 10-15 minutes of your time to discuss your experience about ? I’m in a startup that is innovating in the sector and would like to better understand the challenges and opportunities in this area.

Step 2a: Refusals. If someone says ‘no’, just thank them and move on.

Example — Handling refusals

Be brief and polite. Here are some examples:

No worries! Thanks for your time.
I understand. Thanks! I’ll let you get on with your day.
Thanks anyway, I appreciate it!

Conducting interviews#

When conducting interviews, remember to think back to the goals of the interview, and direct the conversation to achieve those goals.

Step 1 — The interview: Make sure that your recording equipment is running and you have your question ready.

Step 2 — During the interview: Some tips:

Listen!
Start broad (“Tell me about the last time…”) and then probe for more details.
Follow the flow of the conversation, not the strict ordering of questions. You can revisit any skipped questions later.
Wait 4-5 seconds after an answer before moving on to the next question. That pause often prompts people to add more insight, and that insight is often more useful than the first part of their answer!
If you find something interesting, follow up: “Why was that?”, “How?”, “What happened next?”.
Direct people back on topic if they drift off topic: “That’s helpful – let’s return to …”.

Step 3 – After the intervew: Transcribe your recording (there are many free and excellent automatic transcription tools available), store the transcript AND the original recording securely. Anonymise the transcript if suitable for a given project.

Example of bad interviewing – Medical alert system: Older people with an existing alarm

In this example, I interviewed ChatGPT-4o, asking it to play the role of an older person with an emergency alarm.

I use the good questions from above, but do a poor job of interviewing as I simply ask the questions, get the answer, and move on — something that we see a lot of in our course.

Here we go:

Tim: Do I have your consent to record this interview? I will automatically transcribe it and analyse the transcript later. You can choose not to answer questions, stop at any time, and ask me to delete the recording.

Diane: Yes, that’s fine. You can go ahead and record.

(Fail! I should have thanked her and then acknowledged once recording start.)

Tim: Can you tell me the story of how you decided to get the alarm system?

Diane: Well, it wasn’t really my decision. My kids wanted me to get it after I had a fall. They said it would help them worry less. So… I got it.

(Fail! I should have followed up. Why did her kids want her to get one? What happened during that fall? How did she feel about getting the alarm at that time?)

Tim: OK. Can you tell me about the last time you used the pendant alarm? What happened, and what was it like for you?

Diane: I haven’t used it, really. Not the red button anyway. Never needed to.

(Fail! I could have explored her feelings around this. How does it feel for her to have something she has never used?)

Tim: Ok. If you ever needed to use the alarm, how do you imagine it would help you?

Diane: I suppose I’d press the button and someone would come help. That’s the idea, I guess.

(Fail! I could have explored her expectations around what would happen. Who do you think would respond? What do you think would happen? What would you want to happen?)

Tim: Yes. Are there any ways you worry it might not work as expected?

Diane: Hmm… maybe if I forgot to wear it, or if the battery went flat or something. But I don’t think about it much.

(Fail! This was an opportunity to dig a bit deeper into any concerns or even past experienced related to this.)

Tim: Ok. Can you walk me through what usually happens each morning with the green button? Have there ever been times you forgot to press it — can you tell me what that was like?

Diane: I’m supposed to press it before 11. Sometimes I forget. Then they call. It’s a bit embarrassing, really. Makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong.

(Fail! Big fail! I could have asked why this is embarrasing? How does this embarrassment affect her use of this system, and her feelings towards it? Why does she feel like she has done something wrong?)

Tim: I see. How does having the alarm affect your day-to-day life? Why?

Diane: I don’t know… I guess it’s just… there. I don’t wear the wristband unless the kids are coming over. Feels a bit silly, to be honest.

(Fail! I missed a huge opportunity to explore why it feels silly. Why does she only wear it if her children are coming over? What does wearing this wrist band mean to her?)

Tim: Ok. Have you ever had a time when the alarm company contacted you? Can you tell me what that was like?

Diane: Yeah, when I forget the green button. They call, ask if I’m alright. I say yes. That’s about it. Bit annoying.

(Fail! I could have asked more about those calls. Who are “they”? What do they say? How long are the calls? What impact does it have on her feelings of her own safety? How do the calls make her feel about the relationship with the alarm company?)

Tim: Ok. When it comes to staying safe at home, how involved is your family?

Diane: Oh, my kids check in every day with a quick call. It’s nice to know they care, even if it’s brief.

(Fail! I could have explored that these calls are like and how they compare to the emergency alarm.)

Tim: Ok. What other ways do you use to stay safe at home, besides the alarm?

Diane: Well, I just have my smartphone with me. If something happens, I’d call them. That’s about it.

(Fail! Missed opportunity to explore how she uses her smartphone and how comfortable she is using it. How does this compare to using the emergency alarm?)

Tim: Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you think we should know about using the alarm?

Diane: No, I think we covered it. Nothing else really comes to mind.

Tim: Who else do you think I should talk to?

Diane: I don’t know.

(Fail! What about her children? Anyone at the alarm company? What about friends who have had a fall but don’t have an alarm? Friends with an alarm?)

Tim: Ok.

(Fail! I didn’t thank her!)

In the above example, I fail multiple times by just simply not following up. Diane (the fake participant) was a bit closed, but I just took her answers. I only learnt from surface-level things such as whether she liked the alarm, whether she had used it, etc. Nothing that really helps me to design a better emergency alarm.

Let’s try again!

Example of better interviewing – Medical alert system: Older people with an existing alarm

In this example, I interviewed ChatGPT-4o using the same questions and asking it to answer these in the same way. This time, I asked follow-up questions.

In the prompt, I asked ChatGPT-4o to annotate (the text in the square brackets) the benefits of any of the follow-up questions that I asked.

Tim: Do I have your consent to record this interview? I will automatically transcribe it and analyse the transcript later. You can choose not to answer questions, stop at any time, and ask me to delete the recording.

Diane: Yes, you have my consent.

Tim: Thanks! Ok. I’m recording now. Can you tell me the story of how you decided to get the alarm system?

Diane: Well, I had a fall once, and after that, my children insisted I get one so I could stay in my own home safely.

Tim: I’m sorry to hear that you had a fall. Can you tell me what happened?

Diane: I slipped in the kitchen and wasn’t able to get up for a while.

[This follow-up encouraged the participant to share more context and personal experience, building empathy and deeper understanding of the event.]

Tim: That sounds awful. How long were you on the floor?

Diane: It was a couple of hours before someone found me.

[Asking for specifics like duration helps highlight the severity and impact of the incident.]

Tim: Yes, I can imagine. What was going through your mind at the time?

Diane: I was scared and a bit helpless. I didn’t know if anyone would come.

[Understanding emotional state reveals deeper feelings that influence decisions.]

Tim: So you said that your children wanted you to get the alarm: what was your thoughts about that at the time?

Diane: I felt a bit pressured, honestly. Like they didn’t trust me to manage on my own.

[This follow-up uncovers feelings about family dynamics and trust, key to understanding user motivation.]

Tim: How did their lack of trust make you feel?

Diane: It made me feel less independent, which I really don’t like.

[Exploring feelings helps reveal barriers and pain points related to product acceptance.]

Tim: I can imagine. Can you tell me about the last time you used the pendant alarm? What happened, and what was it like for you?

Diane: Actually, I haven’t really had to use it. It’s just there.

Tim: Well that’s good to hear. How does it feel to be paying for this if you’ve never used it?

Diane: It feels a bit like I’m paying for something I don’t really need.

[This question probes the perceived value and acceptance of the product, revealing potential dissatisfaction.]

Tim: Can you tell me more about what you mean by ‘another thing you have to deal with’?

Diane: I just mean it feels like an extra hassle, something I have to remember every day, which I’m not always good at.

[This follow-up clarifies vague statements and identifies practical frustrations.]

Tim: Remember what?

Diane: I’m supposed to press the green button before 11. Sometimes I forget and they call. It’s a bit embarrassing, really. Makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong.

Tim: Who are “they”?

Diane: The people at the alarm company.

Tim: How many times have you forgotten to press the green button?

Diane: Yeah—one morning I forgot to press the green button, and they rang around midday. I picked up and they were polite, just checking I was okay. But I felt embarrassed. Like I’d failed some simple task.

Tim: How long did the call last for?

Diane: It lasted a few minutes. They asked if I was feeling alright, if anything had happened, and reminded me to try and press the button every day. I said I was fine, just forgot. They were nice about it, but still—it felt a bit… awkward.

Tim: How did it make you feel that you had ‘failed a simple task’?

Diane: I felt a bit stupid, honestly. Like I was letting everyone down, especially my kids. It’s not a big deal, but in the moment it just sticks with me.

Tim: And you can’t shake it for a while?

Diane: No, it lingers for the rest of the day. I keep thinking about it and feeling like a burden. It’s a tough feeling to shake off.

Tim: I’m sorry to hear that.

Diane: Thank you. It’s not easy to talk about, but I’m glad you’re listening.

[*These explore the emotional impact of the alarm company’s call, encouraging the interviewee to express their feelings, which deepens understanding of the personal challenges behind routine safety checks.]

Tim: It’s what I do! Tell me a bit more about the wristband being ugly.

Diane: It’s bulky and it makes me feel old and frail. I don’t like wearing it. Actually, I only wear it when my kids are coming over.

[This reveals design and emotional issues that affect usage and acceptance.]

Tim: I assume your kids don’t know about that last part. How do you think they’d react if they knew?

Diane: They’d probably be upset because they want me to be safe.

[This uncovers possible unspoken tensions or compromises in user behavior.]

Tim: And you hate feeling frail and needy?

Diane: Yes, it’s not a feeling I want to have.

[This exposes emotional resistance to the product’s implications. The question build rapport with the user.]

Tim: I can understand that. If you ever needed to use the alarm, how do you imagine it would help you?

Diane: I guess it would alert someone that I need help.

Tim: Who do you think would respond?

Diane: Probably the alarm company first, then my children.

[This clarifies expected response chains and real-world functioning.]

Tim: What do you think would happen if you pressed the red button?

Diane: Someone would come to help me, I hope.

Tim: What would you want to happen?

Diane: I’d want my children to come if possible, and an ambulance if needed.

Tim: So you’d prefer your children to come first?

Diane: Yes, definitely.

[This helps understand preferences and priorities in emergency response.]

Tim: Indeed. Are there any ways you worry it might not work as expected?

Diane: Sometimes I worry if I forget to press the green button and it won’t catch that I’m in trouble.

Tim: You don’t think about it not working in other ways?

Diane: Not really, mostly just forgetting the green button.

[This narrows down the main user concerns to specific failure modes.]

Tim: The anxiety about it failing brings back memories of your earlier fall?

Diane: Yes, it reminds me of that scary time.

[Connecting past experiences to current worries deepens understanding of user emotions.]

Tim: Can you walk me through what usually happens each morning with the green button?

(Note: In the list of questions, at this point the question should be “Have you ever had a time when the alarm company contacted you? Can you tell me what that was like?”, but the participant already covered this, including how it was embarrassing. Instead, I asked a more specific question about the daily routine, and skipped the rest.)

Diane: I try to press it by 11 am every day to let them know I’m okay.

Tim: And you remember to press it most mornings?

Diane: Most days, but sometimes I forget if I’m in a rush or distracted.

Tim: So you are in a rush or distracted, you forget to push the button sometimes?

Diane: Exactly.

Tim: I see. How does having the alarm affect your day-to-day life? Why?

Diane: It feels like one more thing I have to manage and a reminder that I’m not as independent as I used to be.

Tim: Checked on?

(Such a simple follow-up question! I wanted to learn more, so just reflected their comment as a question.)

Diane: Yeah, my children call sometimes, and the alarm company calls if I forget the button.

Tim: What does freedom from this look like?

Diane: Just feeling like I can live without all these reminders and gadgets telling me I need help.

Tim: Who does it feel like is watching?

Diane: Mostly the alarm company, but also my kids in a way. Like the whole setup is there because they don’t fully trust I’ll be okay on my own.

Tim: It’s like the roles have reversed from when they were young and they were parent!

Diane: Exactly! That’s what it feels like sometimes. Like they’re parenting me now, and I didn’t really sign up for that.

[This interaction moves beyond surface-level facts to explore the emotional impact, frequency, quality, and personal meaning of family involvement, revealing important nuances about support and connection that would otherwise be missed.]

Tim: When it comes to staying safe at home, how involved is your family?

Diane: They check in pretty regularly, mostly by phone. Not a lot of face-to-face, but they want to make sure I’m okay. Sometimes they stop by, too.

Tim: How often do they call?

Diane: They used to call every day, especially right after my fall. Now it’s more like a few times a week. They probably trust the alarm system helps a bit.

Tim: What are these calls like? How long do they last and what do you discuss?

Diane: They’re usually pretty short, just checking in to see how I’m doing. Sometimes it’s a quick “Hi, are you okay?” and other times we might chat a little about my day. Mostly it feels a bit routine, like a checkbox.

Tim: How does that make you feel?

Diane: It’s nice they care, but sometimes it feels a bit impersonal. Like they’re just doing what they think they should, rather than really wanting to connect.

Tim: You’d like to connect more?

Diane: Yeah, I think so. It would be nice to have conversations that feel a bit more genuine, rather than just quick check-ins. Maybe talk about other things besides my health sometimes.

Tim: How do these calls compare to the emergency alarm?

Diane: They feel different. The family calls are more personal, even if they’re brief. The alarm calls feel formal and a little cold—just a job they have to do. Both are important, but in different ways.

[This interaction uncovers the frequency, nature, and emotional tone of family interactions, revealing a desire for deeper, more genuine connection beyond routine check-ins, and contrasts the warmth of family calls with the formality of alarm company contact, enriching the interviewee’s lived experience around safety and care.]

Tim: What other ways do you use to stay safe at home, besides the alarm?

Diane: I mostly rely on my phone. It’s always with me, and I can call anyone if I need help.

Tim: The phone is key for you?

Diane: Yes, it feels more natural and less intrusive than the alarm.

Tim: More natural how?

Diane: Like, it’s something I’m used to and comfortable with. I don’t have to remember extra buttons or wear something I don’t like.

Tim: I think smartphones are part of all of us, these days!

Diane: Definitely.

[These follow-up questions clarify the interviewee’s preference for familiar technology over specialised devices, exploring feelings of comfort and intrusion, and help highlight the importance of natural, user-friendly solutions in safety design.]

Tim: I agree with that! Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you think we should know about using the alarm?

Diane: I guess sometimes I just don’t want to complain or cause trouble by saying I don’t like it.

Tim: You feel that you shouldn’t complain?

Diane: Yes, I don’t want to seem ungrateful or difficult.

Tim: I see. Who else do you think I should talk to?

Diane: You could talk to some of my children, and maybe some of my friends who also use alarms. Also, some people at the alarm company would have insight.

Tim: Tim: I really appreciate you donating your time to me today. This was really helpful and insightful. I hope the whole experience improves for you and that you can get back some of that feeling of independence! Thanks.

Diane: Thank you, Tim.

Tim: I’m ending the recording now.

Takeaways#

Takeaways

A value proposition canvas describes our customers, their problems, and the value propositions to help with these problems.
It contains two parts: a customer profile and a value map.
A customer profile describes the jobs, gains, and pains of customers in a segment.
A value map describes the pain relievers, gain creators, and products/services behind these.
When we interview customers to construct profiles, we need to listen.
Interviews aren’t about just asking questions – they are about learning.