Audience definition

When this is useful

You are about to run this process and need one reusable working document.

What the workbook covers

1. Name the decision

2. Describe the workflow

3. Separate the people involved

4. Classify audience criteria

5. Keep the evidence ledger

6. Compare candidate segments

Use with real evidence

Download the full Markdown resource, replace placeholders with your situation and retain sources beside claims. Keep unanswered questions visible rather than filling them with plausible guesses.

Put it to work

1. Read the full worksheet and define the decision it supports.
2. Fill the relevant tables using dated observations and explicit assumptions.
3. Review the output with its owner and record the next decision.

Limits and tradeoffs

The worksheet structures work; it does not supply missing customer evidence or guarantee a business result. Adapt examples and assign a responsible owner.

Worksheet preview

# SaaS audience hypothesis and evidence worksheet

Use this worksheet to define whom to learn from and why. Keep unknowns visible. The example is fictional and does not establish demand.

## 1. Name the decision

- Definition owner:
- Version and date:
- Decision this definition supports:
- Current product or offer constraints:
- Review date or evidence that triggers a review:

## 2. Describe the workflow

- Job the customer wants to accomplish:
- Context in which it happens:
- Problem and consequences:
- Trigger for considering change:
- Current alternatives and why they persist:
- Result our product could provide:
- Most important uncertainty:

## 3. Separate the people involved

| Role | Who performs it | Relevant concern | Observed evidence | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Champion | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Buyer | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Reviewer | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

One person may hold multiple roles. Titles are discovery clues, not proof of authority.

## 4. Classify audience criteria

| Criterion | Requirement, discovery filter, or temporary constraint | Why it matters | How to verify | Consequence if absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

List explicit disqualifiers separately. Avoid using a convenient search filter as a product requirement without evidence.

## 5. Keep the evidence ledger

| Claim | Original observation and source | Date | Interpretation | Contradicting evidence or limitation | Next question |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

Record missing evidence as missing. Do not fill gaps with invented quotes or purchasing intent.

## 6. Compare candidate segments

Use supported qualitative judgments before adding numeric scores.

| Segment | Problem consequences | Product fit | Reachability | Buying obstacles | Delivery effort | Main uncertainty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segment A | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Segment B | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

- Segment selected for the next test:
- Evidence supporting the choice:
- Alternatives retained for later:
- Conditions that would change the choice:

## 7. Write the hypothesis

“We are testing whether [people in a specific context] who encounter [problem or trigger] can achieve [result] with our product, provided [requirements]. We will initially reach them through [observable route].”

- Next test:
- Owner:
- Result to observe:
- Review condition:

## Fictional completed hypothesis

We are testing whether engineers investigating recurring API test failures can reach a useful diagnosis with our monitoring product, provided their test environment is supported. We will initially recruit through existing engineering relationships and relevant discussions we participate in. Integration compatibility is a requirement; company size is only a discovery filter until evidence shows that it changes product fit. Actual urgency and purchasing authority remain unknown.

## 8. Record revisions

| Version and date | Criterion changed | New evidence | Decision affected | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |


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Original resource by Jon Bishop. CC BY 4.0. Illustrative examples are not customer results.