Market Problems — discovery & validation (Framework: Market → Market Problems)

Rule: The answers to most of your questions are not in the building. Discover, collect, analyze and communicate problems found in the market, then validate they are urgent, pervasive, and that the market is willing to pay to solve them. See ../pm-copilot/references/framework.md for the full map.

Who to listen to

The Noisy 20% vs. the Quiet 80%. The noisy 20% (your most excited/unhappy customers plus loud internal voices — an exec's advisory board, a big-client sales rep, support) give a limited, skewed view. The quiet 80% won't come to you; you must go find them (industry conferences — leave your booth; professional associations; LinkedIn; end-user training). Noisy customers don't represent the whole market.

The four market segments — each is "a person with a problem." Balance interviews across all four: