Continuous discovery
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Continuous discovery is the habit of maintaining at least weekly customer touchpoints, run by the team building the product, in pursuit of a desired outcome. The definition comes from Teresa Torres. It replaces occasional research projects with an ongoing rhythm, and the Opportunity Solution Tree is the artefact that keeps that rhythm organised.
Why weekly
The cadence matters more than the volume. A team that talks to one customer every week builds a continuously updated picture of the problem space and can course-correct within days. A team that runs a large study twice a year gets a detailed snapshot that is already stale by the time decisions depend on it.
By the team, not for the team
Torres is specific that the touchpoints are conducted by the people building the product, not delivered to them as a report. Second-hand research loses the detail that changes minds, and it separates the people who heard the problem from the people choosing what to do about it.
The tree as the memory
Weekly conversations generate more input than anyone can hold in their head. Without somewhere to put it, continuous discovery degrades into a stream of anecdotes. The tree gives each observation a place: it either supports an existing opportunity, creates a new one, or speaks to a solution already under consideration.
Frequently asked questions
What is Teresa Torres's definition of continuous discovery?
At a minimum, weekly touchpoints with customers by the team building the product, where they conduct small research activities in pursuit of a desired outcome. The emphasis falls on three things: the weekly cadence, the team doing it themselves, and a specific outcome guiding the work.
How is continuous discovery different from user research?
User research is often a project with a start and an end, run by specialists and delivered as findings. Continuous discovery is an ongoing habit owned by the product team itself, where small, frequent contact replaces occasional deep studies.
Related terms
- Product discoveryProduct discovery is the work of deciding what to build and why, as distinct from delivery, which is building it well.
- OpportunityIn an Opportunity Solution Tree, an opportunity is a customer need, pain point or desire that, if addressed, would move the desired outcome.
- EvidenceEvidence is the recorded observation that supports or undermines a claim in an Opportunity Solution Tree.
See how continuous discovery fits the whole tree
The full guide covers all four layers and how they connect.