Value Proposition Canvas

What is the Value Proposition Canvas?

The Value Proposition Canvas is a tool developed by Dr Alexander Osterwalder to ensure there is a fit between a product and market by exploring the relationship between a Customer’s needs and the value proposition of the organization. 

This can be a new or an existing product or service, but aims to align what an organization delivers to reduce the pains and increase the gains for their target customer.

The Value Proposition Canvas has two building blocks – customer profile and an organisation’s value proposition. 

In the Customer Profile block, we look at the following elements: 

  • Gains – the benefits which the customer expects and needs and the things which may increase likelihood of adopting a value proposition.
  • Pains – the negative experiences, emotions and risks that the customer experiences in the process of getting the job done.
  • Customer jobs – the functional, social and emotional tasks customers are trying to perform, problems they are trying to solve, and needs they wish to satisfy.

A customer profile is created for each customer segment, as each segment has distinct gains, pains and jobs.

In the Value Map block, we look at the value proposition that an organization offers through its products and/or services, including: 

  • Gain creators – how the product or service creates customer gains and how it offers added value to the customer.
  • Pain relievers – a description of exactly how the product or service alleviates customer pains.
  • Products and services – the products and services which create gain and relieve pain, and which underpin the creation of value for the customer.

Why Do a Value Proposition Analysis?

The Value Proposition Canvas can help any business or organization to:

  • Define their customer profiles. By brainstorming and analyzing the Customer Profile block, companies can identify their customers’ major jobs-to-be-done, the pains they face when trying to accomplish their jobs-to-be-done, and the gains they perceive by getting their jobs done.
  • Visualize the value of the organizations’ product or service create. Define the most important components of your offering, how you relieve pain and create gains for your identified and targeted customers.
  • Achieve Product-Market fit. Adjust your Value Proposition based on the insights you gained from customer evidence and achieve Product-Market fit.

Related Templates

Tips for Effective Facilitation of Value Proposition Canvas

References

  • Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G., Smith, A. (2014) Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want, John Wiley & Sons.

Who Should Use a Value Proposition Canvas?

The Value Proposition Canvas is a great tool for marketing experts, product owners, and value creators and their teams, who work to develop products and services to a targeted audience. It is also valuable for any teams and organizations who are trying to understand how customers make decisions and what offers to create that they will find appealing.

When Should I Complete a Value Proposition Canvas?

  • Understanding who your customers are, including what their lifestyles and real needs are to help create relevant products and services.
  • Develop value propositions for your products and services for effective communications and marketing to your identified customers.
  • Increasing the sales and profitability of your products and services.
  • Reducing time wasted on developing ideas that customers may not be interested in.
  • Improving or innovating new products or services.

The Right Way to use the Value Proposition Canvas

The value proposition template is essentially made up of 2 blocks with one being what the customer segment is and how we might best service their needs. You start by completing the various aspects of the canvas and then look for gaps and alignment to validate that what you are able or can deliver meets the needs of the customer.

While the canvas itself depicts the customer profile on the right and the natural inclination is for you to start with the goods and services of the business first, it is actually more important to firstly identify what your customer needs and expectations are. This way you are focussing on the needs of your customers and ensuring that the elements that you can control (what your product or services actually deliver) can be refined to ensure that there is alignment.

The next step is to then identify gaps and check that there is alignment between the 2 areas. This allows you to then create experiments, ask more questions or create action items that will help you move towards delighting the customer and growing your business. A really easy way is to have the team vote for the areas that need the most discussion.

Customer Profile

This section looks at what jobs or goals the specific customer has and what are their positive and negative states that they experience.

Start here.

Focus on just one segment at a time so that you do not confuse or have mixed messages in your planning process when completing the lean canvas.

Segments could be by age, social status, interest or psychographic.

By only having a single focus on the segment, it makes it easier to identify the highest priority jobs, pains and gains related to that segment. This helps you understand customer preferences, biases and thoughts.

The size of the segment can be refined if you are finding that it is too broad or too large and it starts to feel generic. For example, all people between 8 and 18 who use sunscreen is more specific than the Youth Market for sunscreen. 

Value Proposition

This section is about what products and services are targeted at the segment and the key benefits provided when the customer buys from us.

 

Align here.

This is where you might list the actual or proposed services or goods that you might use to service the customer segment.

The goal here is not to simply list everything that you may do, but to highlight the key ones that are servicing that customer’s need.

For example, Sunscreen targeted at the ages 8 to 18 may be an aesthetic brand which has a shorter application time frame but higher SPF rating that matches their behaviour but might not include higher priced brands that have skin moisturising and anti-wrinkle qualities.

A well-suited message then connects the consumers mind to your brand or product if the value proposition is clear and meets their specific needs. 

How to Complete a Value Proposition Canvas

Start a Value Proposition for a product or service by filling out the template and then where there are gaps. You can use the gaps as validation to run more experiments, ask more questions, try out new ideas. By understanding your customers’ preferences, biases and thoughts, you’ll find new ways to delight them and grow your business.

Brainstorm

Brainstorm ideas for each area of the Value Proposition canvas.

Group

Review responses, and collate ideas.

Vote

Rate the ideas according to likely impact on the organization.

Share

Share the outcomes of the session to relevant stakeholders.

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