---
name: value-proposition-canvas
description: "Maps value propositions using the Value Proposition Canvas framework with customer jobs, pains, and gains. Use when refining your product-market fit messaging."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Value Proposition Canvas

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Map your value proposition against specific customer segments
- Identify customer jobs, pains, and gains to inform product and messaging decisions
- Align your product features with what customers actually care about
- Articulate why your offer is the best solution for a specific audience

**DO NOT** use this skill for competitive analysis, pricing strategy, or brand identity work. This is for structured value proposition mapping using the canvas framework.

---

## Core Principle

YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOUR PRODUCT DOES — IT IS THE OVERLAP BETWEEN WHAT YOUR CUSTOMER NEEDS AND WHAT YOU UNIQUELY DELIVER. THE CANVAS REVEALS THAT OVERLAP.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Product/service** | "What do you offer?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Target customer** | "Who is this for? Be specific." | No default — must be provided |
| **Current messaging** | "How do you currently describe your product?" | Whatever they share |
| **Customer research** | "Have you talked to customers? What do they say?" | Limited or anecdotal |
| **Competitors** | "Who else solves this problem?" | General awareness |

**GATE: Confirm inputs before building the canvas.**

---

## Phase 2: Customer Profile (Right Side of Canvas)

### Customer Jobs

Identify what the customer is trying to accomplish:

```
## Customer Jobs

**Functional Jobs (tasks they need to complete):**
1. [Job 1 — e.g., "Send professional invoices to clients"]
2. [Job 2 — e.g., "Track which invoices are paid and overdue"]
3. [Job 3 — e.g., "Manage cash flow across multiple clients"]

**Social Jobs (how they want to be perceived):**
1. [Job — e.g., "Look professional and established to clients"]
2. [Job — e.g., "Be seen as organized and on top of finances"]

**Emotional Jobs (how they want to feel):**
1. [Job — e.g., "Feel confident about business finances"]
2. [Job — e.g., "Reduce stress around getting paid"]
```

### Customer Pains

```
## Customer Pains

**Frustrations:**
1. [Pain — e.g., "Creating invoices from scratch takes too long"]
2. [Pain — e.g., "Chasing late payments is awkward and time-consuming"]

**Risks/Fears:**
1. [Pain — e.g., "Worried about looking unprofessional"]
2. [Pain — e.g., "Fear of cash flow gaps sinking the business"]

**Obstacles:**
1. [Pain — e.g., "Don't know what to include on an invoice"]
2. [Pain — e.g., "No system for tracking who owes what"]
```

### Customer Gains

```
## Customer Gains

**Required Gains (must-haves):**
1. [Gain — e.g., "Invoices sent and paid reliably"]

**Expected Gains (standard expectations):**
1. [Gain — e.g., "Professional-looking invoices"]
2. [Gain — e.g., "Easy tracking of payment status"]

**Desired Gains (would love to have):**
1. [Gain — e.g., "Automated payment reminders"]
2. [Gain — e.g., "One-click invoice creation"]

**Unexpected Gains (wow factors):**
1. [Gain — e.g., "Cash flow forecasting based on invoice data"]
```

**GATE: Review the customer profile before mapping the value side.**

---

## Phase 3: Value Map (Left Side of Canvas)

### Products and Services

List what you offer that addresses the customer jobs.

### Pain Relievers

For each customer pain, show which feature or aspect of your product relieves it.

### Gain Creators

For each customer gain, show how your product creates or amplifies it.

### Fit Analysis

```
## Value Proposition Fit

| Customer Pain/Gain | Your Solution | Fit Strength |
|--------------------|---------------|-------------|
| [Pain 1] | [Feature/benefit] | Strong / Moderate / Weak |
| [Pain 2] | [Feature/benefit] | Strong / Moderate / Weak |
| [Gain 1] | [Feature/benefit] | Strong / Moderate / Weak |
```

Highlight:
- **Strong fits** — these are your core selling points
- **Weak fits** — gaps to address in product development or acknowledge in messaging
- **Unaddressed jobs/pains** — opportunities or boundaries to communicate

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Value Proposition Statement

Distill the canvas into a single statement:

```
For [target customer] who [job to be done],
[Product name] is the [category] that [key benefit].
Unlike [alternative], we [key differentiator].
```

### 2. Messaging Hierarchy

Rank the value proposition elements by importance:
1. Primary message (the #1 pain you relieve)
2. Secondary messages (2-3 supporting gains)
3. Proof points for each message

### 3. Application Guide

Show how to use the canvas output for:
- Sales page headlines and copy
- Ad messaging and targeting
- Product development priorities
- Customer support scripts

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Listing features instead of jobs** — "We have a dashboard" is a feature. "Track all invoices in one place" is a job.
- **Guessing customer pains** — if you have not talked to real customers, the canvas is fiction. Base it on research.
- **Trying to fit everything** — you cannot relieve every pain and create every gain. Focus on the strongest fits.
- **One canvas for multiple segments** — different customer segments have different jobs, pains, and gains. Create a separate canvas per segment.
- **Never updating the canvas** — customer needs evolve. Revisit quarterly.

---

## Recovery

- **No customer research:** Recommend 5 short interviews with existing or potential customers. Provide interview questions to use.
- **Too many customer segments:** Start with the highest-value or largest segment. Complete one canvas fully before starting another.
- **Weak fit across the board:** This is valuable insight — it may mean the product needs repositioning or the target customer needs to change.
- **User cannot articulate their differentiator:** Use the canvas to find it. The overlap between customer needs and what competitors miss is the differentiator.
