I usually start with empathy and research — understanding what users are doing, feeling, and needing. That might mean looking at analytics to see behavioral patterns, reviewing user feedback, or running quick interviews to uncover emotional triggers.

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Then, I  frame the opportunity: what value are we trying to create for the user, and what outcome does the business need? I like using tools like journey mapping or opportunity trees to visualize this alignment.

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Once we have clarity, we move into hypothesis building — forming educated guesses like, “If we help users achieve X feeling, it will lead to Y behavior."

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From there, I start rapid prototyping and testing — validating those hypotheses through small experiments, sometimes even just paper flows or light A/B testing.

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Discovery of course, doesn’t end once post-launch — it’s continuous. User behavior and expectations evolve, so we keep learning, adjusting, and refining. That’s how we stay connected to what users truly value while still hitting business goals.