How I examine business problems
From a request for customers to understanding the buyer, checking the evidence and choosing a decision the team can act on.
Clients usually come to me for enquiries and paying customers. I start with what the business shows people and how they reach a purchase. When the familiar explanation does not fit behaviour and data, I revisit the assumptions. That is where my “What if…” begins.
These are practices I use in my work. Their order and depth depend on the problem: customer research, marketing diagnosis and product choices require different evidence.
See the product through the buyer’s eyes
I look at traffic sources, landing pages, ads and social media. I form an initial picture: what product the business presents, to whom, and what outcome it promises. Then I consider what people see at each touchpoint.
My question: can the person continue solving their problem on this page, or must they work out the product’s purpose again?
Reconstruct the journey and the reason for searching
What changed in someone’s life or in the business? Why did they need a new solution? I compare the search query, entry page, next step, actions and time. I look for a mismatch between the person’s task and the offer.
For me, the customer journey starts with a life change that prompted the search. Queries, ads, a website and a sales conversation come later. Looking only at the final visit can hide why the person needed the product at all.
My question: what happened before the person started searching?
Check the explanation behind the numbers
If the report does not explain what is happening, I check measurement and walk through the user journey myself. I examine conversions and changes over time. I consider percentages alongside volume, the team’s actions and resources invested.
| Metric | Period A | Period B |
|---|---|---|
| Visits | 1 000 | 2 000 |
| Orders | 20 | 30 |
| Order conversion | 2% | 1.5% |
| Acquisition spend | 500 € | 1 500 € |
| Spend per order | 25 € | 50 € |
Orders increased by 50%. Spend tripled and spend per order doubled. “More orders” alone is not enough to assess the result. These are hypothetical figures: business conclusions also require revenue, margin, buyer mix and comparable periods.
My question: what changed in the metrics, and which actions and resources explain that difference?
Propose a different hypothesis
My own research and observations matter more to me than copying a solution without knowing its conditions. I may transfer an approach from another industry or revisit an earlier product design decision. A new connection remains a hypothesis until tested in its context.
My question: which familiar approach from another field can reframe this problem?
Choose a test and share the reasoning
I test hypotheses using data and behaviour. Search demand informs pilot topics and priorities; it does not yet prove willingness to buy a specific product. I explain the reasoning step by step so the team can continue independently.
My question: which observation would support continuing, and which would require revisiting the hypothesis?
See the whole picture and make it clear to the team
Seeing connections quickly is not enough. I used to present the whole picture while the other person was just beginning to understand. Now I build on the familiar and introduce one new connection at a time. My personal guideline is roughly 90% familiar and 10% new per step; it is an explanatory technique, not a universal ratio.
The team needs to understand where the decision came from and what to check next. Continuing also requires the owner’s willingness to change the product and actions in response to findings.
Promise what can be measured
I first identify the change the buyer needs, then what the business can substantiate through measurement. An intermediate outcome and its effect on revenue require different evidence. Strong wording does not replace a test.
How an approach becomes a decision
In a furniture project, showroom observations and screen data suggested moving detailed selection into the home. The transferable approach is to understand what people lack to decide; the image format addressed the conditions of that time.
Where to start working together
An unclear cause — Rentgen diagnosis · Rethink the product and offer · Choose a direction — Decision Room
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