How much time should we spend on discovery?
This is one of the most common questions when we talk about discovery: How much time should I spend on it? Days? Weeks? Months?
The short answer is a paradox! We should spend as little time as possible and, at the same time, be doing discovery all the time.
Why as little as possible?
In a product culture, we live by the principles of delivering early and often and result delivery. It makes no sense to spend months analyzing before putting something in the hands of the customer. Discovery isn’t about seeking absolute certainty—because that doesn’t exist—but about reducing risk before making a big investment.
That’s why you should use the discovery toolbox to answer very specific questions:
Does the problem exist?
Is the proposed solution feasible?
Is there enough value for both the customer and the business?
Once you have enough signals to move forward, stop and ship. The real value lies in learning fast and acting, not in dragging investigations on.
And risks should always be prioritized!
Real Example: Gympass Wellness
In October 2019, when I was leading product management at Gympass, we decided to work on an idea called “Gympass End-User Partnership Hub”. The concept was simple: partner with wellness apps and offer them to our users.
This idea had two main hypotheses we needed to test:
Partners’ willingness to collaborate: These providers were used to a monthly recurring revenue model. Would they accept being paid per day of use?
Users’ willingness to pay: Would our users be willing to pay a monthly fee to access these apps?
To test the first hypothesis, we built a simple slide deck outlining the value proposition and spoke with potential partners. We pitched the idea to eight companies; six expressed interest, and four agreed to join.
First hypothesis validated. Now, the second: would users pay? To test this, we created a simple form describing the product and asking for name, email, and company. After filling it out, users were taken to a PayPal subscription page. There was no real product—just a simulation to measure intent. Those who signed up received an email with activation links for the apps.
This discovery process allowed us to create Gympass Wellness, a product that became essential during the pandemic. When employees of our clients started working from home, many HR departments considered canceling their contracts. We offered Wellness as the perfect solution: fitness, nutrition, meditation, and mental well-being without leaving home.
Notice that we didn’t test everything at once. First, we validated whether we would have partners. If we didn’t, there was no point in testing users’ willingness to pay.
Why All the Time?
At the same time, discovery is a mindset.
A product-oriented team operates in discovery mode all the time—observing how customers use the product, analyzing data, tracking the market, and questioning assumptions.
It doesn’t mean endless interviews, but rather maintaining a constant posture of curiosity:
Why did this metric change?
What does this complaint reveal?
What emerging behavior is showing up?
This person looks like a potential user—what can I ask them?
This continuous attention keeps the product evolving without relying on big “discovery projects” that delay delivery.
Two Simple Examples from My Day-to-Day at Gympass:
At the pharmacy: After leaving the office, I stopped by a Drogasil pharmacy. The clerk saw my Gympass T-shirt and called her colleague: “Look, someone from Gympass!” I immediately switched into discovery mode. I asked how they used the benefit. They said they went to gyms near home and work, and they gave suggestions for improving the app and the overall experience. That quick visit turned into a valuable learning session.
In an Uber: In London, after meetings with Uber (one of our clients), I called a ride. The driver saw my T-shirt and said he had just received the benefit and loved it. Between rides, he could stop at a gym and work out. In just a few minutes, I learned a lot about his experience.
Of course, this is easier with large-scale B2C products, but what matters is the mindset: always being curious to learn more about the customer, their problem, the context, and their motivation to solve it.
One More Recent Example:
I posted a photo of a talk I gave to a client’s team in Europe. A few days later, the Brazilian who invited me asked me to remove the image at the request of their legal department. I put on my discovery hat: why?
It was a concern about GDPR, the European equivalent of Brazil’s LGPD—something I dealt with closely at Gympass between 2018 and 2020. I uncovered interesting nuances: German companies are far less flexible about GDPR compliance than Portuguese ones. This concern about personal data stems from the context of World War II, when the Nazis used population databases (name, religion, address, etc.) to persecute Jews. It was a valuable cultural insight, born from curiosity.
The Paradox
So, how much time should you dedicate to discovery?
In each cycle: The minimum needed to reduce risk and unblock the next delivery.
In your culture: All the time, because discovery is a way of seeing and acting.
Just like product culture, discovery is not a process with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s a continuous practice!
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I’ve been helping companies and their leaders (CPOs, heads of product, CTOs, CEOs, tech founders, and heads of digital transformation) bridge the gap between business and technology through workshops, coaching, and advisory services on product management and digital transformation.
Digital Product Management Books
Do you work with digital products? Do you want to know more about managing a digital product to increase its chances of success, solve its users’ problems, and achieve the company's objectives? Check out my Digital Product Management books, where I share what I learned during my 30+ years of experience in creating and managing digital products:
Digital transformation and product culture: How to put technology at the center of your company’s strategy
Leading Product Development: The art and science of managing product teams
Product Management: How to increase the chances of success of your digital product
Startup Guide: How startups and established companies can create profitable digital products
