One question becomes an evidence-backed decision — never a chat transcript.
Honest note Custom questions only rename the case — no research runs yet. The example is sample data.
Markus investigates before it recommends.
SAMPLE INVESTIGATION · sample data — a curated illustration, not live research or verified evidence.
CUSTOM QUESTION · the case title changed, but Markus is not researching it yet. Everything below is the sample investigation.
Mapping the landscape · sample data, no live sources
Sample pass / contradiction open
Living understanding
Signals before solutions.
The board separates what has been observed from what merely sounds plausible. Nothing becomes a recommendation yet.
Know
Momentum drops after the first call.
Call notes show the next step is often undefined, even when interest is high.
CALL NOTES · PRIMARY
ConflictKnow
"More leads" is not the shared diagnosis.
Some founders attribute the stall to lead quality; the observed handoff gap points elsewhere.
2 VIEWS IN TENSION
Evidence fieldtagged items
Know
"I left knowing it went well — then did nothing."
Founder interview, 18 Sep · direct voice
VOICE / PRIMARY
Assume
The missing commitment feels lower-risk than a clear next action.
Inference from 3 call reviews
MARKUS / INFERENCE
Unknown · blocking
What would make a follow-up feel useful within 24 hours?
Needs a real answer from prospective buyers.
FIELD QUESTION
Assume
Is the first call solving the wrong job?
A challenger: perhaps the call creates interest but no decision-worthy outcome.
COMPETING EXPLANATION
Evidence coverage
—
Counted from the cards on this board. Enough signal to define an opportunity area — not yet enough to pick a solution.
Human decision gate / next
Turn this evidence into an opportunity area?
Markus will propose 2–3 candidate opportunity areas. None will contain a product or a fix yet — only who, what they're trying to do, and what's in the way.
EvidenceOpportunity area
Markus drafted 3 candidate opportunity areas
Human gate / required
Opportunity area
Name the gap, not the fix.
[ user ] + [ goal / task ] + [ barrier ]. No product or feature appears here — that comes later, after you choose.
Area A
Founders need to know what to do right after a promising first call, but leave without a defined next step.
Grounded in 2 KNOW items and the primary voice quote.
2 KNOW · 1 UNKNOWN✓ chosen
Area B
Founders need confidence that a call created real buyer commitment, but interest and commitment feel identical in the moment.
Grounded in the ASSUME inference — not yet directly observed.
1 KNOW · 1 ASSUME✓ chosen
Area C · challenger
Founders need to learn whether the first call even addressed an urgent problem, but only find out much later, if ever.
Grounded in the alternative interpretation — the riskier, less-evidenced bet.
1 KNOW · 2 UNKNOWN✓ chosen
Decision gate / your call
Choose an opportunity area to carry forward.
Pick one card, then click its wording to edit it. Markus will not choose for you.
EvidenceOpportunity areaHow might we
Reframing the chosen area as questions
Human gate / pick one to carry forward
How might we
Turn the gap into a question.
Derived only from the opportunity area you chose — still no solution.
Decision gate / your call
Pick the question worth sketching ideas against.
Ideation stays narrow on purpose — a handful of sketches against one question, not a brainstorm.
EvidenceOpportunity areaHow might weIdeation
3 sketches against the chosen question — not a brainstorm
Human gate / pick one to test
Ideation
A few honest sketches, not a wall of ideas.
Each one earns its place by tracing back to a piece of evidence — not by sounding clever.
Decision gate / your call
Choose the one sketch worth a real test.
The other two stay on record as evidence-linked ideas — not discarded, just not tested first.
The first experiment is intentionally small enough to run today.
Human experiment gate
Send five short follow-ups to recently interested prospects.
Ask one question: "After our call, what would have made the next step obvious enough to take this week?" Record answers verbatim. Do not pitch a solution.
Is follow-up friction the cause — or merely where the symptom appears?
Keep this alive until the buyer answers challenge the chosen opportunity area.
Test = evidence gathering
A test gathers evidence. It does not decide what is true.
Log what people actually said. Nothing is promoted to KNOW automatically — you review each claim, with a reason.
Learning loop
Return with answers. Markus will re-sort the ledger.
The product learns from evidence, not from having a prettier opinion. New answers inform a claim; promoting anything to KNOW always needs your review and a reason. They can also reopen the opportunity area.