Needs Analysis / JTBD / Product Core (Cross-Author Topic Synthesis)

When to open: When you need to conduct needs analysis / decompose JTBD / find the product core / calculate the market ceiling. This wiki integrates the yitang Truman system + Wang Huiwen's classic frameworks + the AI PM perspective.

One-sentence core:Truman: "When managing a startup, business model is not our top priority — needs analysis is.". 4-character formula Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + 4 keywords of product core + JTBD task-driven approach, covering the full chain from vague needs to ceiling estimation.

0. Core Definitions

Concept	Definition
Needs analysis	What is the user's real problem? How painful is it? How frequent?
Product core	Users are willing to choose your product's minimum solution
JTBD	Jobs To Be Done - Task-driven needs analysis
Micro-sense	Keen intuition for the entire process of users using the product
Ceiling	The commercial space indicating how large a business can grow

1. yitang 4-character formula Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate (exclusive complete version)

Yitang / Complete needs analysis system (4 stages: Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + JTBD) §I:

1.1 Overview of the 4-character formula

Character	Session	Core action
Decompose	Practical 1: Stripping and decomposition chapter	Break down vague needs into specific scenarios + user groups + pain points
Deduce	Practical 2: Scenario deduction chapter	Use JTBD to deduce the task map and gain insight into real needs
Evaluate	Practical 3: Qualitative evaluation chapter	Good needs judgment across 3 proficiency levels: beginner → intermediate → advanced
Calculate	Practical 4: Ceiling calculation chapter	Commercial space estimation, how large the business can grow

1.2 6 proficiency levels + 3 leaps

Level	State	Training before the leap
L1	Does not distinguish between needs / products / features	—
L2	Knows needs are important, but cannot decompose them	Decompose
L3	Able to decompose and deduce	Decompose + Deduce
L4	Able to evaluate good needs	Evaluate
L5	Able to calculate the ceiling	Calculate
L6	Holistic strategy, needs drive products / growth / moats	Synthesis

3 leaps:

1st leap: Vague → Decomposed (train Decompose)
2nd leap: Simple → Professional (train Deduce + Evaluate)
3rd leap: Local → Holistic (train Calculate + holistic strategy)

1.3 3 values of needs exploration

Multiple-choice question —— Validate / falsify as early as possible, low-cost trial and error (decides whether to do it)
Design question —— Comprehensively improve the quality of all decisions (decides how to do it)
Math question —— Build conviction, understand business space (decides how large the scale is)

"The feeling of always carrying a time bomb while starting a business is too unbearable, spend some time researching the market and needs in advance,build conviction about user problems and the business ceiling space, and your entire management mindset will be much more composed."

2. Decompose - Detailed explanation of stripping and decomposition

Yitang / Complete needs analysis system (4 stages: Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + JTBD) §II:

2.1 2 core suggestions

What you want to provide does not matter; what matters is what specific problems users want to solve
Users are never a monolith; you can try to segment them

2.2 2 decomposition principles

Principle	Meaning
Cut each grid 2-5 times	Cut until you reach specific, clear real needs
User group × scenario × pain point × frequency decomposition	4-dimensional intersection

2.3 6 decomposition cheat sheets

#	Angle
1	By user group(age / gender / income / occupation / region)
2	By scenario(time / location / trigger condition)
3	By pain point severity
4	By frequency(daily / weekly / monthly / yearly)
5	By amount(customer unit price + LTV)
6	By existing alternative(direct competitor + indirect competitor)

3. Deduce - Scenario deduction + JTBD (exclusive)

Yitang / Complete needs analysis system (4 stages: Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + JTBD) §III:

3.1 Micro-sense

Definition:Have extremely keen intuition for the entire process of users using the product.

Truman:"Excellent business leaders and product managers must cultivate top-tier "micro-sense". "

3.2 How to cultivate micro-sense (3-6 months around one specific needs scenario)

Use it yourself 100 times
Use it together with users 10 times
Watch users use it 100 times
Review every detail each time
Find the most anomalous users (the ones who love it most + the ones who hate it most) for deep conversations

3.3 Yitang localized version of JTBD

JTBD (Jobs To Be Done, task-driven): What task do users hire your product to complete?

3 types of tasks:

Type	Meaning
Functional task(Functional)	Explicit, observable
Emotional task(Emotional)	Inner feeling
Social task(Social)	Others' perception

Classic example (Clay Christensen milkshake):

Surface task: Quench thirst / fill stomach
Actual task:A non-boring breakfast when driving one-handed(morning commute scenario)
Therefore the milkshake must be thick enough + drinkable one-handed + last for 20 minutes

3.4 JTBD one-pager template (L1-L4 canvas)

Yitang / Complete needs analysis system (4 stages: Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + JTBD) candy one-pager template:

L1: 我观察到的用户行为(谁 + 干啥 + 多频)
   ↓
L2: 用户的功能任务(显性需求)
   ↓
L3: 用户的情感 + 社交任务(隐性需求)
   ↓
L4: 任务深度推演 + 多需求横向对比

AI collaboration version: Let AI help you simulate JTBD for 100 different users.

4. Evaluate - Detailed explanation of qualitative evaluation

Yitang / Complete needs analysis system (4 stages: Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + JTBD) §IV:

4.1 3 proficiency levels: Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Level	Evaluation criteria
Beginner	Is it really painful? How frequent? How large is the group?
Intermediate	How are the alternatives? Switching cost? Willingness to pay? Is it sustainable?
Advanced	Time window? Economies of scale? Moat? Ceiling?

4.2 Wang Huiwen's 4 key traits of needs (classic supplement)

Yitang / Complete 66-page notes of Wang Huiwen's Tsinghua Product Course Part 2:

Need strength(is it rigid)
Need frequency(is it high)
Need scale(is it large)
Need willingness to pay(are users willing to pay)

4.3 6 insufficiencies in needs aesthetics

Misconception	Manifestation
Treating it as static	Fill it out and never revise
Overly arrogant mindset	Think you are awesome, don't know you are unskilled
Too little exposure	Haven't seen good ones, don't know why they are good
Blind imitation	Copy when you see others doing it
Premature scaling	Think everyone wants it just because one user can use it
Not doing the math	Large need but the business model does not hold

5. Calculate - Detailed explanation of ceiling calculation

Yitang / Complete needs analysis system (4 stages: Decompose-Deduce-Evaluate-Calculate + JTBD) §V:

5.1 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up

Method	Logic	Suitable for
Top-Down(Top-Down)	Total market × penetration rate × customer unit price × cycle	Mature markets with rich industry reports
Bottom-Up(Bottom-Up)	Unit model × replication granularity × total number of units	New categories / innovative businesses

Best practice:Calculate using both methods and check if they match. If difference > 50% → at least one calculation is wrong.

5.2 Horizontal comparison of multiple needs

Key point: Don't only calculate a single need; also calculate horizontal comparisons across multiple candidate needs.

Comparison dimensions:

Ceiling size
Entry difficulty
Team fit
Time window
Long-term moat

6. Product core (Step 2 of the five-step method)

Yitang / Complete system of product core + unit model (Steps 2+3 of the five-step method) Part A:

6.1 Core definition

Product core = Users are willing to choose your product's minimum solution.

4 keywords:

Word	Meaning
User	Specific to a certain type of person + a certain scenario
Willing to choose	Not just using, but voting with feet + choosing to pay
Minimum	Strip away all non-core elements
Solution	The way to solve the user's specific problem

6.2 3 principles

Principle	Reminder
Tool principle	The product core is only a tool for studying product value,not the product itself
Layered principle	All levels of the company can think using product core (SKU / business line / company)
Precision principle	Strive for the state of neither too big nor too small, just right status

6.3 L3-L6 proficiency levels

Level	Capability
L3 Strip out the minimum core	Conscious thinking + stripping
L4 Professionally evaluate the core	Evaluate strength + find the precise core
L5 Rapidly iterate the core	Dynamic iteration + repeated validation
L6 Comprehensively use the core	Fully migrate to product / growth / moat decisions

6.4 Product core canvas (L3 tool)

[用户 + 场景]
    ↓
[核心问题/任务]
    ↓
[核心转化率指标]
    ↓
[影响转化率的关键要素]
    ↓
[决定性要素 ≈ 产品内核]

6.5 Product core vs unit model vs unit conversion rate

产品内核 = 单元模型「价值部分」的关键转化率
     ↓
影响这个关键转化率的因果关系
     ↓
价值足够(转化率过关)= 单元模型有信心跑通的「必要条件」

Truman emphasizes:The product core is about stripping out the "core value" part of the business model, validating it in advance, and avoiding major trial-and-error and business failure.

6.6 L4 Find the precise core (3 common misconceptions)

Too large —— Treat the entire product as the core (counting packaging/service/appearance all in)
Too small —— Only one feature point left (ignoring the compound nature of experience)
Misaligned —— The stripped core is not the real core that affects user choice

L4 training:

Validate with extreme user interviews (love most vs hate most)
Validate with A/B testing (conversion rate change after removing a certain element)
Validate with price elasticity (whether users still choose it after 50% price cut / 200% price increase)

6.7 L5 Dynamically iterate the core (4 driving factors)

User evolution(Early Adopter → Late Majority)
Competitor impact(when competitors have a similar core, you need a new core)
Emergence of new technologies(AI changes the possibilities of the core)
Scenario upgrade(from PC to mobile, the form of the core changes)

7. Wang Huiwen classic supplements