Product Discovery as A crucial Pillar of Digital Product Success /Hisham Magdy Eid Behiry

Supervisor:
Dr. Alaa Eldin Adris
Dr. Elhassan Anas ElSabry

Thesis (M.A.)—Nile University, Egypt, 2025 .

"Includes bibliographical references"

Contents:
Table of Contents
CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL................................................................................. II
DEDICATION ..............................................................................................................IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...............................................................................................V
DECLARATION ...........................................................................................................VI
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................VII
LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................ XI
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ XII
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................ XIII
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER 2 PRODUCT DISCOVERY AS A CRUCIAL PILLAR OF DIGITAL PRODUCT
SUCCESS....................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 CORE PRODUCT DEFINITION ....................................................................................................................5
2.2 PRODUCT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.................................................................................................9
2.3 PRODUCT DISCOVERY AND ITS CONTEXT............................................................................................13
2.4 PRODUCT DISCOVERY AND STRATEGY PIVOTING..............................................................................25
2.5 PRODUCT SUCCESS OF PRODUCT DISCOVERED BY USERS................................................................25
2.6 PRODUCT DISCOVERY HELPS IN FOCUS ON OUTCOME OVER OUTPUT ..........................................26
2.7 PRODUCT DISCOVERY PRINCIPLES........................................................................................................27
2.8 PROBLEM STATEMENT............................................................................................................................27
2.9 RESEARCH QUESTIONS............................................................................................................................28
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY............................................................................. 30
3.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE.............................................................................................................................30
3.2 RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE.......................................................................................................................30
3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN...................................................................................................................................30
3.4 PARTICIPANTS ..........................................................................................................................................31
3.5 PROCEDURE...............................................................................................................................................32
3.6 DATA COLLECTION TOOLS .....................................................................................................................32
3.7 DATA ANALYSIS PLAN..............................................................................................................................34
3.8 DATA VALIDITY ........................................................................................................................................36
3.9 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ....................................................................................................................36
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS............................................................................ 38
4.1. DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS.....................................................................38
4.2 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AWARENESS OF PRODUCT DISCOVERY CONCEPT AND ENGAGEMENT
IN ITS ACTIVITIES.............................................................................................................................................41
4.3 THE BENEFITS OF ADOPTING AND APPLYING PRODUCT DISCOVERY ACTIVITIES..........................45
4.4 PRODUCT DISCOVERY IMPACT ON BUSINESS PIVOTING AND DECISION MAKING...........................53
4.5 ANSWER THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS...................................................................................................57
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................... 60
5.1 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................60
5.2 IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE..................................................................................................................61
5.3 LIMITATION AND FUTURE WORK .........................................................................................................62
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................... 63
x
APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................................... 68
APPENDIX A - SURVEY QUESTIONS..............................................................................................................68
APPENDIX B - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................71
APPENDIX C - PUBLISHED PAPER ................................................................................................................73

Abstract:
Product discovery encompasses the critical activities conducted before and alongside
product implementation to address potential risks proactively and develop a vision for
a product that is both desirable and feasible.
This study investigates the role of product discovery in the success of digital productbased companies, with a focus on their adoption, challenges, and perceived benefits.
Despite the growing of technology-driven solutions aimed at addressing real-world
problems, many innovative products fail to achieve significant financial returns. A key
contributing factor is the insufficient engagement in structured product discovery
activities during the early stages of development. This research employs a mixed
methods approach to explore the implications of adopting or bypassing product
discovery, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative insights from industry
professionals.
The quantitative phase involved a survey of 52 experienced participants from software
product and engineering disciplines, revealing critical benefits such as avoiding
unnecessary features, ensuring meaningful return on investment, and fostering
customer-centric solutions. To better understand these insights, the qualitative phase
featured interviews with five professionals in diverse roles, product director, user
experience researcher, software manager, software quality manager, and agile
consultant who reflected on the survey findings and provided contextualized
perspectives based on their experiences. The findings underscore the importance of
embedding product discovery as a core practice within organizations. Interviewees
emphasized the need for management sponsorship, tailored training for product team
members composed of business, engineering, and design representatives, and the
integration of discovery activities into hiring criteria and organizational culture.
Practical recommendations include fostering cross-functional collaboration, sharing
success stories to illustrate the return on investment, and establishing frameworks that
align discovery efforts with business objectives. This research contributes actionable
Product Discovery As A crucial Pillar of Digital
Product Success
Hesham Magdy Eid Behery
viii
strategies for decision-makers to optimize product discovery processes, ultimately
driving more successful and impactful product development outcomes.
Keywords
Product management, product discovery, customer interview, software product, dual
agility, Agile management

Text in English, abstracts in English and Arabic