One of the most useful tools for identifying a market gap is Value Curve Mapping, a concept from Blue Ocean Strategy.
It’s simple but powerful: you map out the factors your customers actually care about — the criteria they use to judge and compare products in your category. The key here is not to rely on assumptions. These insights should come from real customer research; otherwise, you’ll end up designing around internal opinions instead of user needs.
Once you’ve defined those factors, plot how your competitors perform on each one — and where your product currently stands.
The real value of this exercise is in what you do next: you identify which elements of your product or service you should increase, reduce, eliminate, or create to stand out.
That’s how you move beyond competing on the same playing field — and start creating your own market and competitive advantage.
Value Curve Mapping
