From the Co-founder & Head of Strategy — Segun Adeyemi
Research has no value by itself. Interview notes have no value by themselves. Customer quotes have no value by themselves. Their value comes from the decisions they improve.
“At KIAGO TECH, research is never considered complete until it changes a decision.”
From Information to Intelligence
Consider four quotes: "Keeping track of stock is stressful." · "We often discover missing ingredients too late." · "Inventory errors cause unnecessary food waste." · "I don't trust my current inventory records."
Different words. Same underlying truth: a lack of confidence in inventory visibility. Insights emerge when repeated observations reveal an underlying truth.
The Insight Pyramid
- Observations — individual pieces of information collected during research.
- Patterns — the same experience described by many customers.
- Insights — an explanation of why the pattern exists.
- Decisions — action taken because of the insight.
Writing Strong Problem Statements
Avoid vague statements like "Our onboarding isn't good." Instead: "Seven of the ten restaurant owners interviewed abandoned onboarding because they were unsure which information was required during registration." Evidence · Scale · Cause.
Prioritising Problems
- How many customers experience this problem? (Frequency)
- How serious is the problem? (Severity)
- How closely does solving it support the KIAGO TECH mission? (Strategic fit)
Opportunity Mapping
- Can we solve this through product design?
- Can we solve this through education?
- Can we solve this through better onboarding?
- Can we solve this through customer support?
- Can we solve this through marketing?
Not every problem requires new software. Sometimes better communication solves the issue.
Evidence-Based Decision Matrix
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What evidence supports this decision? | — |
| How many customers reported this issue? | — |
| What observations support it? | — |
| What business impact does it create? | — |
| What happens if we ignore it? | — |
| What experiment can validate the solution? | — |
KIAGO TECH Case Study
The Kiavendor team interviews 20 vendors. 16 struggle with inventory management; 4 mention advertising. Marketing proposes ₦2m in ads. Product proposes improving inventory tools. Customer evidence should guide the investment.
Workshop · Problem Prioritisation
| Problem | Frequency (1–5) | Severity (1–5) | Strategic Importance (1–5) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — |