Discovery, Clarity, and The Mom Test

Discovery is one of those words that gets thrown around constantly in product conversations. We all talk about doing discovery. We say we are validating ideas, testing assumptions, learning from users. But if we are honest with ourselves, a lot of discovery work falls short of its purpose.

It is easy to mistake compliments, vague enthusiasm, and internal alignment for real discovery. We run a few user interviews, hear some positive feedback, maybe get a few sales leads excited, and walk away feeling confident. But confidence is not the goal of discovery. Clarity is.

Over the past few years, one of the most useful resources I have come across for improving discovery is The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick. It is a simple, practical guide to asking better questions so that people stop lying to you. Not because they are trying to deceive you, but because most people want to be supportive, especially if they like you or feel awkward giving critical feedback.

Fitzpatrick's book exposes the subtle traps we all fall into when we frame discovery conversations the wrong way. And more importantly, it offers ways to avoid those traps and run discovery that actually teaches us something useful.

The Pitfalls of Shallow Discovery

There are a few patterns I have noticed in my own work, and in teams I have worked with, that tend to make discovery unreliable:

1. Taking Sales Excitement at Face Value

It is common to hear that a new feature or idea is resonating with prospects. Sales teams might report that customers love the idea or that a new feature is opening doors. But surface-level excitement does not mean the feature solves a real problem or that people will pay for it. Sales feedback is valuable, but it should always be paired with deeper discovery.

2. Relying on Compliments Over Behavior

When you show someone your idea, it is easy for them to say, "That sounds great" or "I would definitely use that." But what people say they would do is very different from what they actually do. If your discovery sessions revolve around pitching your idea and collecting positive reactions, you are building on weak ground.

3. Mistaking Internal Enthusiasm for External Need

Teams love new ideas. It is energizing to explore possibilities and rally around a potential feature. But internal excitement is not evidence of external demand. Discovery needs to stay focused on the customer's world, not just our own assumptions.

What True Discovery Looks Like

Discovery is not about getting people to agree with you. It is about understanding how they experience their problems, what they have tried, where they struggle, and what really matters to them.

A good discovery process should:

• Focus on the customer's existing behavior and pain points, not your proposed solution
• Reveal what they have already done to solve the problem
• Uncover whether they are actively seeking alternatives or living with the status quo
• Clarify whether your idea meaningfully improves their situation

If your discovery conversations end with people saying nice things but not sharing specifics about their needs or frustrations, you are probably not running true discovery.

A Simple Framework for Better Discovery

The lessons from The Mom Test can be distilled into a few principles that help structure more effective conversations:

1. Talk About Their Life, Not Your Idea

Avoid leading with your pitch. Instead, ask about their daily routines, existing processes, and the workarounds they have created. You want to understand their reality, not sell them on your concept.

2. Ask About Specific Past Behavior

General opinions are unreliable. Ask questions like:

• "When was the last time this problem came up for you?"
• "What have you tried to solve it?"
• "What happened when you tried that?"

3. Listen for Commitment, Not Compliments

Look for signs that they are already investing time, money, or energy to address the problem. Interest is cheap, but action reveals real pain.

4. Be Comfortable with Silence and Discomfort

If discovery feels too easy or positive, you are probably not digging deep enough. Good discovery often surfaces uncomfortable truths or gaps in understanding.

How to Tell if Someone Would Actually Pay

One of the hardest parts of discovery is separating polite interest from genuine intent to pay for a solution. The Mom Test makes it clear that asking people, "Would you buy this?" is almost useless. Most people will say yes to be encouraging, especially early in a conversation.

Instead, you need to guide the conversation toward understanding their real spending behavior and decision-making process.

1. Look for Existing Spending

If the problem is significant, people are likely already spending time, money, or resources to address it. Ask:

• "How much is this problem costing you today?"
• "Have you paid for other solutions or workarounds?"
• "What budget or process exists for addressing this area?"

If they have not tried to solve the problem before, that is a red flag. It suggests that the pain may not be strong enough for them to take action, let alone spend money.

2. Understand Their Priorities

Even if someone says the problem matters, it needs to matter enough to compete with other priorities. Try asking:

• "What other projects or tools are you investing in right now?"
• "How would this fit into your existing budget or workflow?"

This reveals whether your solution would get lost in the noise or whether it solves something important enough to justify investment.

3. Frame Hypotheticals Around Real Trade-offs

If you cannot avoid talking about your idea, avoid vague "Would you buy this?" questions. Instead, anchor the conversation in specific scenarios:

• "If this saved you X hours per week, would that be enough to justify switching from your current setup?"
• "If this reduced your costs by Y percent, would that free up budget for something like this?"

Even then, focus on learning their constraints and hesitations, not pushing them toward a yes.

4. Ask About the Buying Process

If someone is showing signs of real interest, take it further by understanding how they buy tools or services like yours. For example:

• "Who else would be involved in a decision like this?"
• "What would the approval process look like on your side?"
• "Have you gone through a similar buying process recently?"

If they cannot describe the buying process, they probably are not as close to purchasing as it seems.

Questions to Ask Yourself During Discovery

To stay honest, I check in with these questions:

• Are we learning about real behavior, or just hearing positive reactions?
• Have they already taken steps to solve this problem with time or money?
• Are we understanding their priorities, budget, and competing demands?
• Can they describe a clear process for how they would buy this solution?
• Is there evidence that they feel enough pain to act, not just to agree?

These checks help prevent overconfidence based on vague interest.

Recognizing Signals Without Overvaluing Them

Sales feedback, marketing excitement, and early enthusiasm can be useful. But they are not substitutes for proper discovery. They are prompts to dig deeper.

Treat early interest as the start of discovery, not as validation. Combine those signals with specific, behavior-focused questions. Keep discovery focused on their world, their decisions, and their real challenges.

Final Thoughts

True discovery is not easy. It slows momentum. It forces you to hear uncomfortable answers. But skipping that work leads to wasted time, false signals, and products that miss the mark.

The Mom Test is a reminder that polite feedback, sales excitement, and good intentions are not enough. You need to ask better questions, listen for behavior, and understand how people spend time and money to solve problems.

When you approach discovery with humility and discipline, you may hear fewer compliments, but you will find more clarity. And clarity is what turns ideas into products people will actually use, pay for, and rely on.