Lean Canvases

Problem-centered approach means that there is an identified problem that entrepreneurs have faced themselves or have witnessed close-up. Presumption is that the customer is understood relatively well. However, although there is a problem it does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that there is an addressable market. Also there is a risk of being led towards the solution that the market majority does not want. (Cooper & Vlaskovits 2013, p.34)

Three different initial lean canvases are presented in this chapter and they were used as a base for the discussion in the workshop. They were filled by the researcher based on the trends, innovations, explored ideas and customer needs presented in this thesis earlier.

Also the theoretical factors presented on the Chapter 2 are utilized in this part especially when considering the possible solution. Lean canvases are filled according to the principles presented in the Chapter 4.5. In this stage they represent the best guesses on the service concept related factors and some parts are more detailed and relevant for the topic than the others. The lean canvases serve as a standing point for the empirical part of the project and they are not meant to use as ready business model or concept. The idea is

that the canvases are updated when the process continues further. Lean canvases here are filled utilizing LeanStack application tool (see LeanStack Inc 2015).

In all the Lean Canvases the customer segment is determined at this stage as Female and Fashion users. The early adopters are different depending on the canvas. The most relevant parts of the Lean Canvases at the beginning of the development are the problem, customer segments, solution and unique value proposition. Other areas are harder to determine in the beginning of the process but are also to some extent less relevant at that stage because the development focuses more on the customer needs and problems.

In marketplace service filling out Lean Canvas can be a bit ambiguous. The customers have different ways of using the service, but in order to understand the problem properly the aspects should be understood detailed enough. Maurya suggests in the LeanStack application that usually the best way is to create separate Lean Canvases for different actors in the service (LeanStack Inc 2015). However in this type of environment the problems, or other seller and buyer related actions, can be closely related to each other.

Some solutions can also solve more than one party related problem. One user can also be both seller and buyer. Therefore the sellers and buyers are divided by some extent but in this stage viewed on the same canvases.

In the canvases different type of users are taken into account. The users have been divided by some extent into sellers and buyers in Female and Fashion segment. Some aspects are marked clearly as considering only sellers or buyers. The first initial Lean Canvas is illustrated on the Figure 29.

Figure 29. First initial lean canvas

The most critical problems illustrated in the first Lean Canvas (Figure 29) are considered relevant for both the seller and buyer. The issue selected for this canvas is multiple product and therefore multiple party related problem. The customer problems are written here “Does not want to communicate with the other party more than necessary” and

“Buying or selling multiple products is too much effort or too slow”. The first presented problem is considered relevant for any user type and the latter one especially for the super user, who is both buyer and seller. Assumption is that the super user is selling and buying multiple products more than only sellers or only buyers which is why this issue was thought to consider the super user above others. The early adopters here are determined as Busy Mom and Fashionista personas, who are also super users of the service.

The idea for the solution here is a distribution service concept which would also work as a flea market. The point is that the best features of both models could be utilized, as distribution center could enable more efficient deliveries. Instead of just warehousing the items the space could be used as a physical market place as well. The second initial Lean Canvas is presented on the Figure 30.

Figure 30. Second initial lean canvas

The problems in the second canvas are addressed for the buyer as “Needs a lot of different products and services from different sellers or companies but has to spend a lot of time and effort to get them” and for buyer “does not get things sold fast enough”.

The problems were slightly hard determine and the depth of them can vary. For example the described seller’s problem of not getting things sold fast enough can for example actually be a problem of not knowing how to set the right price, not reaching enough buyers, selling items that no one wants to buy or something else. In this part they were determined quite general level. The customer to who these problems most likely would be the most painful, are here determined as Busy Mom and The Decorator.

As a part of the solution in this canvas the idea is to offer tailored service-product package solutions for the consumer. This means that services could be offered in such a way that the consumer could purchase them easily through as a package just from one place. The third Lean Canvas is on the Figure 31.

Figure 31. Third initial lean canvas

The third Lean Canvas looks at the problem in a more universal level as it states

“Diversified user needs depending on the dimensions of buyer, seller, product, and purpose.” So this problem is written in quite in slightly vague way although it exists in this type of market place service and especially if considering hybrid consuming. This is not as direct forward focused to one specific user group.

The solution idea is a kind of site that could collect all the providers under one site and be linked with Tori. Basically the idea was that the delivery options could be collected under one place in the kind of way that all the parties involved could benefit from it. The customer could have all the delivery options under the same site or app and the providers could be more visible to the customer. An example of service like this is the Parcel2Go (2016) service introduced already earlier in the trends section of this thesis. It is however still considered here that Young Hipster and Fashionista could be the early adopters of this type of service.

These Lean Canvases were at this part made individually by the researcher and they were used as a basis for the development and ideas in the workshop. The idea of any of them is not to be a ready business model, but to serve more as a notes at this point.