Opportunity Canvas (Jeff Patton)

Use it when you have a new product idea and need to align your team on real user problems before you start building.

What is it?

The Opportunity Canvas is a one-page discovery tool by Jeff Patton designed to validate product ideas before you write a single line of code.

It forces you to surface real user problems, desired outcomes, business goals, and potential solutions in a structured layout. The canvas covers key sections, user needs, solution ideas, business metrics, adoption strategy, cost structure, and risks, so your team moves from assumptions straight into evidence-backed prioritization.

Instead of a bloated PRD, you get a living document that highlights where the real opportunities, and biggest unknowns, live.

Why it matters?

Every hour spent building features without validated opportunity is wasted budget, and worse, user frustration. The Opportunity Canvas forces you to align on user pain points, success metrics, and go-to-market strategy in one unified view. That alignment shaves development cycles, minimizes blind spots, and accelerates product-market fit, so you hit key growth inflection points faster.

How it works

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

Define the Target Problem

Start by clearly stating the user problem or unmet need you're solving. Keep it concise and evidence-based to avoid building on shaky assumptions.

Identify Users & Customers

List primary users, secondary users, and key stakeholders. Understanding who gains value keeps feature ideas grounded in real-world context.

Map Desired Outcomes

For each user group, describe the outcomes they want, speed, efficiency, trust, or emotional payoff. This helps you measure success later.

Brainstorm Solution Ideas

Sketch multiple solution approaches without committing to one. The goal is volume and creativity, not perfection.

Set Business & Success Metrics

Define the KPIs that prove you're delivering value, conversion rate lift, retention increase, revenue growth. Make them quantifiable.

Plan Adoption & Go-to-Market

Outline how you'll reach and onboard users. Include channels, messaging angles, and any incentives or partnerships.

Outline Costs & Resources

Estimate development time, marketing spend, and support requirements. Flag any technical dependencies or skill gaps.

List Risks & Assumptions

Call out business and technical uncertainties. Assign owners to test or validate each assumption fast.

Prioritize & Next Steps

Vote on the highest-impact opportunities and unknowns. Turn top items into experiments or prototypes.

Frequently asked questions

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

What's the main difference between the Opportunity Canvas and a traditional Product Requirements Document (PRD)?

A PRD lists detailed specs before you validate assumptions. The Opportunity Canvas makes you prove the real problems, desired outcomes, and success metrics first, so you avoid building the wrong thing.

What's the main difference between the Opportunity Canvas and a traditional Product Requirements Document (PRD)?

How granular should the problem section be?

Keep it focused on user pain points, no feature ideas or solutions here. Aim for a sentence or two per problem, backed by user evidence like interviews or support tickets.

How granular should the problem section be?

Keep it focused on user pain points, no feature ideas or solutions here. Aim for a sentence or two per problem, backed by user evidence like interviews or support tickets.

Who should participate in filling out the Opportunity Canvas?

Cross-functional teams win here. Involve a PM, a designer, an engineer or two, and a customer-facing rep. Diverse perspectives surface hidden assumptions and blind spots early.

Who should participate in filling out the Opportunity Canvas?

Cross-functional teams win here. Involve a PM, a designer, an engineer or two, and a customer-facing rep. Diverse perspectives surface hidden assumptions and blind spots early.

How often should you update the canvas?

Treat it as a living doc. Update it after each round of user tests, market research, or sprint demo. If you launch or pivot, revisit all sections to stay aligned.

How often should you update the canvas?

Treat it as a living doc. Update it after each round of user tests, market research, or sprint demo. If you launch or pivot, revisit all sections to stay aligned.

Can I use an Opportunity Canvas for new features, not just full products?

Absolutely. Whether it's a micro-feature or a major release, the canvas helps you map user value, success metrics, and risks before you invest dev time.

Can I use an Opportunity Canvas for new features, not just full products?

Absolutely. Whether it's a micro-feature or a major release, the canvas helps you map user value, success metrics, and risks before you invest dev time.

You've mapped out your Opportunity Canvas and nailed your top experiments. Now plug those experiments into the CrackGrowth diagnostic to uncover hidden UX friction and supercharge your launch.

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