Customer Utility Test
Prioritize problem resolution and ease of use over ideological product narratives.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 94%
The Customer Utility Test evaluates a product through two primary questions: does it solve the user’s actual problem, and is it easy to use? Teams often overestimate how much customers care about structural or ideological debates that dominate their industry, such as decentralization or monopoly concerns. Those issues may matter, but they do not automatically create adoption. The framework therefore begins with observed customer needs, verifies that the product produces a valued result, and examines every point of effort between intent and outcome. Strategic narratives and technical distinctions should be retained only when they improve utility, usability, or another demonstrated customer priority. This creates a disciplined filter for roadmaps and positioning while still allowing mandatory ethical, legal, and safety constraints to remain non-negotiable.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain.
Core principles
- 01Customers primarily judge whether a product solves their problem.
- 02Ease of use can outweigh abstract concerns promoted by insiders.
- 03Industry narratives are not substitutes for observed customer priorities.
- 04A strong product must pass both utility and usability tests.
How to run it
- 1
State the Customer Problem
Describe the concrete job or frustration in language customers use.
Pro tip Ask customers for the last situation in which the problem occurred.
Watch out Do not substitute a technology trend for a customer problem.
- 2
Validate Desired Value
Confirm that solving the problem produces an outcome important enough to change behavior.
Pro tip Look for existing workarounds as evidence of demand.
Watch out Verbal enthusiasm without behavioral evidence can be misleading.
- 3
Test Problem Resolution
Observe whether representative users can achieve the promised result with the product.
Pro tip Measure successful outcomes rather than feature usage alone.
Watch out A sophisticated product can still fail its core job.
- 4
Measure Ease
Count the steps, time, confusion, and assistance required before users receive value.
Pro tip Watch first-time users without guiding them.
Watch out Internal familiarity makes teams underestimate friction.
- 5
Filter the Roadmap
Prioritize work that strengthens problem resolution or ease of use, while preserving mandatory safeguards.
Pro tip Require every proposed feature to identify the customer outcome it improves.
Watch out Do not discard privacy or safety merely because customers underweight it.
In the wild
Customers may agree that a dominant marketplace creates industry problems yet continue using it because ordering is easy and deliveries reliably solve their immediate need. A competitor focused only on anti-monopoly messaging will struggle unless it also matches the practical customer experience.
→ The product strategy centers on utility and ease rather than expecting ideology alone to drive switching.
Common mistakes
Building for Insider Concerns
Teams immersed in technology can mistake their own debates for the customer’s highest priorities.
Testing Features Instead of Outcomes
Feature engagement does not prove that the product solved the original problem.
Ignoring Mandatory Constraints
Customer preference does not excuse violations of privacy, safety, law, or ethics.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for product teams choosing features, positioning, or strategic priorities in technically or ideologically charged markets.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when legal, safety, privacy, or ethical requirements must override short-term customer preferences.
From the transcript
“Consumers don't care about that stuff, right? They care that it's a really great product, it solves their problems, and it's easy to use.”
“the things that we think users care about, they don't. Really, what they care about is like, does this thing solve my problem? Is it…”
From the episode
What Marketers Need to Understand about Gen Z and Millennials