Mastering Discovery: Desirable, Feasible, Viable & Sustainable

Signal Boost: "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk
A reminder that great product discovery pushes us to build smarter, deliver better, move faster, and make stronger decisions across all four lenses.

Want it. Build it. Fund it. Save it.

These four words are more than a memory aid. They represent four critical lenses used in product discovery to shape better, more responsible, and more valuable ideas.

Originally drawn from design thinking, the framework of Desirable, Feasible, and Viable has helped product teams, strategists, and technologists assess the strength of new ideas. Adding Sustainable as a fourth lens reflects our modern reality: customers care about more than convenience. They care about impact.

Here’s how each lens helps teams navigate discovery:

1. Desirable: Do People Want It?

Understanding user needs, behaviours, and pain points. In a financial context, it means designing for trust, clarity, and real world utility.

• What’s the customer need?
• Who are the users, and what’s their behaviour telling us?
• Have we validated this with data or insight?

If it doesn't resonate with users, it doesn’t matter how slick or compliant it is.

2. Feasible: Can We Build It?

Assessing technical and operational capability. In highly governed environments, feasibility also includes legal, compliance, and data security considerations.

• Can we deliver this with the systems, skills, and architecture we have?
• How many integration points or dependencies are involved?
• Will it pass the technical, regulatory, and security sniff tests?

It’s not about blocking innovation, it’s about making smart bets.

3. Viable: Will It Deliver Value?

Making sure the idea contributes to business goals, financial performance, or strategic outcomes. It’s about aligning product decisions with commercial sense.

• Does it support our business goals or strategy?
• What’s the value case: efficiency, revenue, retention?
• Will it justify the opportunity cost of delivering it?

Viability often starts with a hypothesis. Discovery helps us sharpen it.

4. Sustainable: Should We Build It?

Looking at ethical, environmental, social, and long-term operational impacts. This lens helps future-proof decisions and avoid building regret.

• Are we avoiding unintended harm to customers or communities?
• Does it align with our values and regulatory commitments?
• Are we thinking about operational sustainability too?

This isn’t just a checkbox. It’s a compass.

Mnemonic for Product Teams

To help teams remember, try this line:

Want it. Build it. Fund it. Save it.

• Want it = Desirable
• Build it = Feasible
• Fund it = Viable
• Save it = Sustainable

Yes, it sounds like a Daft Punk track. And yes, that’s exactly why it sticks.

How to Use the Four Lenses in Discovery

Whether you're a product owner, engineer, designer, or business stakeholder, use these four lenses early and often during Discovery. Ask:

• Who really needs this?
• What would need to be true to deliver it?
• How does it align with business strategy?
• Are we creating value without unintended harm?

What It All Comes Down To

“Discovery isn’t about certainty, it’s about reducing risk through learning. These four lenses aren’t a checklist, they’re a conversation. Involve engineering, design, legal, operations, and most importantly, customers.”