Absolutely. I would rewrite Step 2 so it explicitly picks up the Most Promising Solution from Step 1 and tests it against the validated problem. It should also remain distinct from Step 10, where you validate whether the complete offer will actually be bought.

Step 2 — Test Problem–Solution Fit

The Problem We’re Solving

“I’ve chosen a promising solution, but I don’t know if it actually fits the problem my customer cares about.”

In Step 1, you explored three possible solutions and selected the Most Promising Solution.

But promising doesn’t mean proven.

Your solution may sound logical to you because it draws on your expertise. But the real question is whether it meaningfully addresses the customer’s problem.

A solution can be:

• technically good but irrelevant

• useful but not important enough

• capable of solving only part of the problem

• based on an assumption about what customers need

So before you turn the solution into a complete offer, you need to examine the fit between:

The Customer’s Problem → Your Proposed Solution

The question is not:

“Is my solution a good idea?”

It’s:

“Does this solution meaningfully address the problem this customer needs to solve?”

The EVUNN Mindset Shift

From “My Solution Makes Sense” → “My Solution Fits Their Problem”

Experts naturally evaluate ideas from their own perspective:

“This is what I know how to do.”

“This should help them.”

“I’ve used this approach before.”

But your expertise doesn’t prove that the solution fits the customer’s situation.

Instead, ask:

What part of the customer’s problem does this solution address?

Which pain does it relieve?

Which desired gain does it support?

What important part of the problem does it leave unresolved?

You’re not trying to prove your idea is right.

You’re trying to discover how well it fits.

Book — Value Proposition Design

Value Proposition Design

Authors: Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Gregory Bernarda & Alan Smith

In Step 1, you used this book to explore possible solutions.

Now you use the concept of Fit to examine whether your Most Promising Solution actually connects to what the customer needs.

The Value Proposition Canvas connects:

Customer Profile

Jobs
What the customer is trying to accomplish.

Pains
What makes that difficult, frustrating or risky.

Gains
What they want to achieve or experience.

with:

Value Map

Products & Services
What you’re proposing to provide.

Pain Relievers
How your solution addresses their pains.

Gain Creators
How your solution helps create their desired gains.

The objective is to find a meaningful connection between the two.

Which Parts Of The Book Should You Read?

You don’t need to read the entire book again.

1.1 Customer Profile — Review

Go back to:

• Jobs

• Pains

• Gains

Much of this should already exist from Phase 1.

Your task is to make sure you’re still solving the right problem for the right customer.

1.2 Value Map — Essential

Review:

• Products & Services

• Pain Relievers

• Gain Creators

Use this to examine exactly how your Most Promising Solution is supposed to create value.

1.3 Fit — Essential

This is the most important section for Step 2.

Focus on whether your Value Map actually addresses the Customer Profile.

3.1 What To Test — Recommended

Use this section to identify the assumptions behind your proposed solution.

Ask:

“What must be true for this solution to actually work for the customer?”

3.2 Testing Step-by-Step — Recommended

Use this as a reference for thinking about how those assumptions could eventually be tested.

3.3 Experiment Library — Skim

You don’t need to study every experiment.

Use it only when you need an idea for testing a specific assumption.

3.4 Bringing It All Together — Recommended

Useful for connecting your customer profile, value map and testing process.

What You Can Skip For Now

You can skip:

2.5 Finding The Right Business Model

Business model development isn’t the focus of this step.

2.6 Designing In Established Organizations

Not central to the expertise-based businesses EVUNN is helping build.

4. Evolve

This is more relevant after you’ve developed and tested the business.

Your EVUNN Action

Test Your Most Promising Solution

Take the Most Promising Solution you selected in Step 1.

Now place it against the validated customer problem from Phase 1.

1. What customer problem does it address?

Be specific.

2. Which customer job does it help them accomplish?

What are they actually trying to get done?

3. Which pain does it relieve?

What difficulty, frustration, risk or obstacle does it reduce?

4. Which desired gain does it support?

What does the customer want to achieve?

5. How exactly does your solution help?

Describe the mechanism—not just the feature.

6. What does your solution NOT solve?

Identify the gaps.

Don’t force a fit.

7. What assumptions are you making?

For example:

“Customers will use this.”

“This approach will produce the desired result.”

“Customers have the resources to implement it.”

“This solves an important enough part of the problem.”

8. What evidence do you already have?

Separate:

What you know
from
What you believe.

Your Problem–Solution Fit Decision

Now make a decision about your Most Promising Solution.

Strong Fit

The solution directly addresses an important customer problem and the connection makes sense.

→ Continue to Step 3

Partial Fit

The solution addresses part of the problem, but important gaps remain.

→ Refine the solution and reassess

Weak Fit

The solution doesn’t adequately address the customer’s problem.

→ Return to Step 1 and explore another solution

Remember:

Returning to Step 1 isn’t failure.

It’s better to discover a weak solution now than after you’ve spent weeks building an offer around it.

Your Step 2 Deliverable

By the end of this step, you should have:

• Your Most Promising Solution

• The specific customer problem it addresses

• The customer jobs, pains and gains it connects to

• The specific pain relievers and gain creators

• The gaps in the solution

• Your key assumptions

• The evidence you currently have

• A Problem–Solution Fit Decision

Your Phase 2 Master Offer Blueprint should now contain:

Validated Problem
↓
Most Promising Solution
↓
Problem–Solution Fit

This becomes the foundation for Step 3.

🔓 EVUNN Execution Toolkit

Problem–Solution Fit Canvas

Ready to test whether your solution actually fits the problem?

The EVUNN Problem–Solution Fit Canvas helps you connect your customer’s problem, jobs, pains and desired gains to your proposed solution—and identify the gaps and assumptions you still need to investigate.

→ Unlock The Toolkit

One Payment. All Stage 1 Toolkits. Yours For Life.

No monthly subscription. No recurring fees. Just the tools you need to execute.

→ Unlock All Stage 1 Execution Toolkits

What Should I Learn Next?

You now have a solution that has been examined against the problem.

But solving a problem isn’t necessarily the customer’s ultimate goal.

The customer isn’t simply trying to “remove a problem.”

They’re trying to get somewhere better.

So the next question is:

“What meaningful result does this customer actually want to achieve?”

Step 3 — Define The Customer Outcome

The question we’re now trying to answer:

“What does success look like for the customer?”

That outcome will become the foundation for the transformation you eventually build into your offer.