But when you’re exploring the value of a product, there are only so many productive layers to discuss. Here are the layers I’ve found the most valuable to fully explore: 1. The immediate layer relates to usefulness. What do you actually do with the thing? I use the drill to make holes. 2. The secondary layer relates to usability. What result comes from using it? I’ve made holes to hang photos. 3. The tertiary layer relates to desirability. What’s different now that I’ve accomplished my goal? I’ve hung photos and now have a more personal home. Beyond these three layers, it becomes more difficult to relate things back to the product. For example, asking “Why do you want a more personal home?” is unlikely to lead to meaningful answers for a drill manufacturer. You may still learn a lot about the person and what drives them, which is always valuable. But for me, it’s too abstract and is rarely immediately actionable. The useful layer In the electric drill example above, the initial response is the person needs to make holes. You can then dig into all of the possibilities to make the drill more useful. Where will the holes be drilled? In concrete? Wood? Metal? What size of holes? Tiny holes to set smaller screws? Big holes for larger bolts? How might that change the nature of the drill? Different power, torque, speed? Maybe speed settings? Different size drills? Changeable drill bits? 46