# 171: Choosing Features and Validating Your Invention

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2023-04-13
- Length: 18m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

Tony Ulwick, CEO of Strategyn, explains how hardware startups can avoid feature creep by defining markets through the 'jobs to be done' framework rather than product features. He details how to identify 'desired outcome statements'—measurable metrics like speed, predictability, and result quality—to prioritize features that address the most unmet customer needs. Ulwick notes that improving a key outcome by just 15% is often sufficient to drive significant adoption, validating this approach through short-run manufacturing and customer feedback loops.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention#t=0) Introduction: Tony Ulwick and Strategyn
- [1:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention#t=115) The PC Jr. Failure and the Origin of Outcome-Driven Innovation
- [3:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention#t=232) Defining Markets by Jobs to be Done and Desired Outcomes
- [9:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention#t=550) Prioritizing Features via Importance-Satisfaction Analysis
- [14:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention#t=860) The 15% Improvement Threshold and Short-Run Validation

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Strategyn (company)
- IBM (company)
- PC Jr. (product)
- Apple (company)
- Harvard Business Review (other)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#066 - How to apply lean startup principles to hardware, with Ash Maurya of Leanstack, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2019-01-16-066-how-to-apply-lean-startup-principles-to-hardware-with-ash-maurya-of-leanstac) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [S3 E1: Mastering Tech Adoption and The Hardware Development Workflow with Jon Hirshtick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2025-09-30-s3-e1-mastering-tech-adoption-and-the-hardware-development-workflow-with-jon-hir) (The Builder Circle)
- [Hardware Entrepreneurs: 3 Critical Mistakes You Must Avoid](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-06-21-hardware-entrepreneurs-3-critical-mistakes-you-must-avoid) (Predictable Designs Podcast)
- [How to Validate the Market for Your New Product with Ivo Kalburdzhiev of CreatorClub](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-04-14-how-to-validate-the-market-for-your-new-product-with-ivo-kalburdzhiev-of-creator) (Predictable Designs Podcast)
- [How to Know If Your New Product Idea is a Good One to Pursue](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-06-28-how-to-know-if-your-new-product-idea-is-a-good-one-to-pursue) (Predictable Designs Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-13-171-choosing-features-and-validating-your-invention. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Product Startup.