Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value by Teresa Torres (Paperback)

About the Book

Continuous Discovery Habits revolutionizes how product teams approach building successful products. Teresa Torres presents a practical framework that shifts product discovery from occasional research projects to consistent weekly habits. This isn’t theory—it’s a battle-tested approach used by high-performing product teams worldwide. You’ll learn how to engage with customers regularly, identify the right opportunities to pursue, and make decisions backed by evidence rather than opinions. The book bridges the gap between knowing you should talk to customers and actually making it happen week after week.

From the Back Cover

Stop building products nobody wants. Start building habits that guarantee you’re solving real customer problems while driving measurable business results.

About the Author

Teresa Torres is a globally recognized product discovery coach who has helped hundreds of product teams adopt sustainable discovery practices. With over two decades of experience in product management and user experience design, she’s taught at Harvard Business School and worked with leading companies across industries. Teresa founded Product Talk to share structured, repeatable methods that help teams confidently navigate product decisions. Her practical, no-nonsense approach has made her one of the most trusted voices in modern product management.

Who Is This Book For?

This book is essential for product managers, product designers, UX researchers, and startup founders who want to stop guessing and start knowing what customers need. If you’re tired of building features that don’t get used or struggling to balance customer requests with business objectives, this framework will change your approach entirely. Engineering leaders and executives will also benefit from understanding how to build discovery into their team’s workflow. Whether you’re working at a scrappy startup or a large enterprise, these habits will help you reduce wasted effort and increase your product’s impact.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is continuous discovery and why does it matter for product teams?
Continuous discovery is the practice of regularly engaging with customers while actively developing products, ensuring you’re building solutions people actually need. Unlike traditional research that happens once before development, this approach makes customer learning a weekly habit that reduces risk and waste.

Q: How is this different from agile development or lean startup methods?
While agile focuses on how you build and lean startup emphasizes validated learning, continuous discovery specifically addresses when and how to engage with customers throughout the entire product lifecycle. It complements these methodologies by providing structured habits for ongoing customer interaction and decision-making.

Q: Do I need a dedicated research team to implement continuous discovery habits?
No—one of the book’s core principles is that product managers, designers, and engineers can conduct discovery work themselves. Torres provides practical techniques that any product team member can use, making discovery accessible regardless of company size or resources.

Q: How much time does continuous discovery take each week?
Most teams dedicate 2-4 hours weekly to customer conversations and synthesis. The book shows how to make this time investment sustainable and demonstrates why regular small touchpoints are more valuable than occasional intensive research sprints.

Q: Will this book help if my company doesn’t have a strong discovery culture yet?
Absolutely—Torres addresses common organizational challenges and provides strategies for introducing discovery practices even in resistant environments. You’ll learn how to start small, demonstrate value quickly, and gradually build support for customer-centric product development.