lean-ux-canvas skill

Purpose

Guide product managers through creating Jeff Gothelf's Lean UX Canvas (v2)—a one-page facilitation tool that frames work around a business problem to solve, not a solution to implement. Use this to align cross-functional teams around core assumptions, craft testable hypotheses, and ensure learning happens every sprint by exposing gaps in understanding (problem, users, value, and why the solution should work).

This is not a roadmap or feature list—it's an "insurance policy" that turns assumptions into experiments before committing to full development. The canvas shifts conversations from outputs to outcomes and ensures teams build the right thing, not just build things right.

Input

Works best with: The business problem you're framing — or the solution idea you're being handed, which the canvas will reframe as a problem. Also useful: Known users, evidence so far, and what the team already believes (assumptions to surface).

Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.

Arriving empty-handed? That works too. The skill opens with Box 1: what business problem are you trying to solve?

Example invocation: Fill a Lean UX canvas: leadership wants 'an AI chatbot' — underlying problem seems to be support ticket volume growing 3x faster than the team.

Key Concepts

What is the Lean UX Canvas?

The Lean UX Canvas (v2) is a structured, one-page template designed to help teams frame their work around a business problem, not a solution. It aligns cross-functional teams on:

• What problem exists (and why it matters now)
• What measurable outcomes indicate success
• Who we're solving for
• What assumptions we're making
• What we need to learn first
• What experiments will test those assumptions

Origin: Created by Jeff Gothelf, author of Lean UX (O'Reilly, 2013). Version 2 was released to improve clarity around business vs. user outcomes.

Key Insight: The canvas acts like an insurance policy—it exposes gaps in understanding before you build, ensuring you don't waste sprints on the wrong thing.

Canvas Structure (8 Boxes)

Layout (3 columns × 3 rows):

┌─────────────────────┬──────────────┬───────────────────────┐
│ 1. Business Problem │              │ 2. Business Outcomes  │
│                     │              │                       │
├─────────────────────┤ 5. Solutions ├───────────────────────┤
│ 3. Users            │  (tall box   │ 4. User Outcomes      │
│                     │   spanning   │    & Benefits         │
├─────────────────────┤   rows 1-2)  ├───────────────────────┤
│ 6. Hypotheses       │──────────────┤ 8. Least Work /       │
│                     │ 7. Learn     │    Experiments        │
│                     │    First     │                       │
└─────────────────────┴──────────────┴───────────────────────┘

The 8 Boxes (fill in this order):

1. Business Problem — What changed in the world that created a problem worth solving?
2. Business Outcomes — What measurable behavior change indicates success?
3. Users — Which persona(s) should you focus on first?
4. User Outcomes & Benefits — Why would users seek this? What benefit do they gain?
5. Solutions — What features/initiatives might solve the problem and meet user needs?
6. Hypotheses — Testable assumptions combining boxes 2-5 (If/Then format)
7. What's Most Important to Learn First? — The single riskiest assumption right now
8. What's the Least Work to Learn Next? — Smallest experiment to validate/invalidate that assumption

Why This Works

Problem-First, Not Solution-First: Starts with "what changed in the world?" not "we should build X." This prevents solution-driven thinking.

Assumption-Driven: Makes hypotheses explicit before building. Every discipline surfaces their risks (technical feasibility, user value, business viability).

Experiment-Focused: Tests assumptions before committing resources. Small experiments beat big bets.

Cross-Functional Alignment: Shared canvas creates common language. Everyone sees the same gaps in understanding.

Key Distinctions (Avoid Confusion)

Box 2 (Business Outcomes) vs. Box 4 (User Outcomes):

• Box 2: Measurable behavior change (retention rate, time on site, average order value)
• Box 4: Goals, benefits, emotions, empathy (save money, get promoted, spend time with family)

Box 2 is metrics. Box 4 is human.

Solutions (Box 5) Are Hypotheses, Not Commitments: List candidate solutions (features, policies, even business model shifts). You're not committing to build all of them—you're exploring the solution space.

Hypotheses (Box 6) Are Testable: Use the template: "We believe [business outcome] will be achieved if [user] attains [benefit] with [solution]." Each hypothesis focuses on one solution.

Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)

• Not a feature list: Solutions are ideas to test, not a backlog
• Not a project plan: Canvas frames learning, not delivery timelines
• Not a replacement for strategy: Canvas executes strategy; it doesn't create it
• Not a one-time exercise: Re-visit as you learn; update assumptions

When to Use This

✅ Use this when:

• Starting a new product initiative or feature
• Reframing an existing project (suspect you're building the wrong thing)
• Aligning cross-functional teams on assumptions and experiments
• Planning discovery sprints or MVPs
• Stakeholders are solution-driven ("we need to build X") and you need to expose assumptions

❌ Don't use this when:

• Problem and solution are already validated (move to execution)
• Tactical bug fixes or technical debt (no learning needed)
• Stakeholders have committed to a solution regardless of evidence (address alignment first)

Facilitation Source of Truth

Use workshop-facilitation as the default interaction protocol for this skill.

It defines:

• session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)
• one-question turns with plain-language prompts
• progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5)
• interruption handling and pause/resume behavior
• numbered recommendations at decision points
• quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include Other (specify) when useful)

This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic.

Application

Use template.md for the full fill-in structure.

This interactive skill walks through 8 adaptive questions (one per canvas box) in sequence. At each step, the agent offers guidance, examples, and options to help you fill the box correctly.

Step 0: Gather Context

Agent asks:

Before we fill out the Lean UX Canvas, let's gather context. Please share:

Business Context:

• Stakeholder request, product brief, or initiative description
• Business metrics (revenue, churn, growth targets, KPIs)
• Strategic goals (OKRs, roadmap priorities)

User Context:

• Customer research, personas, JTBD insights
• User feedback, support tickets, churn reasons
• Competitor analysis, market trends

You can paste:

• PRD or product brief
• Stakeholder memo
• User research summary
• Just describe the initiative briefly

Question 1: Business Problem (Box 1)

Agent asks:

What problem does the business have that you are trying to solve?

Describe:

• Current state: How does the business deliver value today?
• What changed: Market shift, competitive threat, customer behavior change, new delivery channel
• Why it matters: Why isn't the current situation meeting expectations?

Good examples: