In the first post, we explored Hero and Hygiene as two forces shaping how products and services evolve. Hygiene is the baseline — the “price of entry” to even compete. Hero is the standout move — the spark that gets people talking.

This second post is about getting practical. The Hero & Hygiene Worksheet is a gap-finding tool. Its purpose is simple:

👉 to help teams understand where they are failing or excelling at solving problems for customers.

By mapping hygiene and hero side by side, and backing them with evidence, teams can see clearly:

where the basics are broken,
where innovation isn’t landing, and
where they’re truly creating value.

The Critical Step: Defining the Problems

The worksheet only works if you start with the right anchor: What problems are we solving for our customers?

Plural, not singular. A product or service usually exists to help people achieve an outcome — say, getting from A to B in a city. But inside that big problem are many smaller, nested problems:

How do I find a driver quickly?
How do I know the ride will be safe?
How do I pay without friction?

This is where teams often go astray. They look at the features they offer and mistake those for the problems themselves. A search bar isn’t a problem. A push notification isn’t a problem. Those are possible responses.

Take the search bar example. A team might frame the problem as “customers can’t find what they need quickly.” But if you step back, the deeper problem might be “users are drowning in too much content and need a faster way to surface the right article.” A search bar is one solution — but filters, recommendations, or restructuring the information architecture could also solve it.

The danger of defining problems by the features you already have is that you shrink the field of possible solutions. You end up optimising a search bar, when maybe the better move was never to need one at all.

So before you fill in a single row of the worksheet, spend the time to articulate the real problems your product solves — at both the high level and the nested level. Phrase them in plain language. Because if you get this wrong, the rest of the exercise becomes theatre.

The Worksheet (Explained)

The worksheet forces you to break each core problem down into:

Hygiene → the baseline customers expect today.
Gaps → where you’re failing, backed by evidence.
Hero → your differentiator, the standout move.
How Hero is Our Hero? → evidence of whether the hero is delivering.
RAG Summary → Green/Amber/Red status for each problem.
Actions → what to fix, test, or scale next.

Example: Uber (Hypothetical Worksheet)

Core Problem We Solve	Hygiene (Baseline)	Gaps (Evidence / Metrics)	Hero (Standout)	How Hero is Our Hero? (Evidence / Metrics)	RAG	Actions
Help customers get a ride quickly	Reliable app, GPS tracking, multiple payment options	Avg wait times up 20% in smaller cities	AI-powered demand prediction for driver placement	In trial cities, wait times down 35%	🟡	Hygiene: Recruit more drivers in undersupplied areas. Hero: Scale AI demand prediction nationally.
Help customers feel safe during rides	Driver background checks, in-app support, route sharing	15% increase in safety complaints vs last year	“Share My Ride” + 24/7 support line	Only 50% of users activate “Share My Ride”	🔴	Hygiene: Improve driver screening process. Hero: Redesign safety prompts to boost adoption.
Help drivers earn fairly	Transparent fares, weekly payouts	Driver churn up 12%	Instant Pay feature (cash-out anytime)	70% adoption; reduces churn by 4%	🟡	Hygiene: Update fare transparency policy. Hero: Enhance Instant Pay with incentives for peak hours.

Notice how the worksheet exposes gaps: hygiene failures (safety complaints), hero efforts that aren’t landing (low adoption of “Share My Ride”), and where Uber is actually excelling (Instant Pay).

Now It’s Your Turn

Now that you’ve seen it, here’s how to run your own Hero & Hygiene workshop:

When to Use This Worksheet

This tool is most powerful when teams step back from the sprint treadmill. Use it:

Monthly or quarterly reporting follow-ups → to turn dashboards into problem-solving sessions.
Quarterly strategy reviews → to rebalance hygiene vs. hero investments.
Before major launches → to check whether features are fixes or differentiators.
During market shifts → when new tech, regulation, or competitors reset baselines.
Ideation sessions → to keep creativity tied to solving problems.
Retrospectives → to reflect on whether the last cycle solved problems or just moved numbers.

Who Should Use It

Product Managers → prioritise what’s essential vs. what differentiates.
Designers & Researchers → anchor design energy in solving problems, not vanity metrics.
Engineering Leads → align technical investment with what truly matters.
Executives & Strategy Teams → balance resources across hygiene and hero.
Marketing Teams → position hero moves as standout stories while keeping hygiene invisible but reliable.

Preparation: What to Bring

Teams get the most value when they prep with evidence:

Customer research → complaints, reviews, support tickets.
Competitor benchmarks → hygiene standards in your industry.
Product analytics → retention curves, churn reasons, completion rates.
Market scans → regulations, tech trends, consumer expectations.

Without this evidence, the worksheet becomes a brainstorming exercise. With it, it becomes a map of where you’re failing or excelling at solving problems.

How to Use the Worksheet (Step by Step)

Define the Core Problems → Phrase them in plain terms, covering both the big outcome and the nested issues.
List Hygiene Standards → Baselines customers already expect.
Spot Gaps → Use metrics and research to show where you’re failing.
Identify Hero Efforts → Capture your differentiators.
Ask: How Hero is Our Hero? → Evidence only. Adoption rates, NPS lifts, repeat use.
Summarise with RAG → Red/Amber/Green for clarity.
Plan Actions → Hygiene = urgent fixes. Hero = bold experiments.

Scaling Across Industries

The worksheet isn’t just for tech. Here’s how it looks when applied elsewhere:

Industry / Company	Core Problems We Solve	Hygiene (Baseline)	Gaps (Evidence / Metrics)	Hero (Standout)	How Hero is Our Hero? (Evidence / Metrics)	RAG	Actions
Hospitality (Hotel Chain)	Make travel stress-free: check-in, comfort, service	Free Wi-Fi, clean rooms, mobile check-in	30% of reviews cite slow check-in	Curated local experiences via app	Only 10% of guests use concierge app	🔴	Hygiene: Improve mobile check-in flow. Hero: Partner with local tour operators.
Retail Banking	Help customers manage money securely	Instant transfers, fraud alerts, app dashboard	25% drop-off in onboarding flow	AI-driven cashflow forecasting	Beta retention < 20% after 2 months	🔴	Hygiene: Redesign onboarding journey. Hero: Retrain forecasting model, relaunch with pilot users.
Healthcare (Clinic)	Make access to care easy: appointments, follow-ups	Online booking, telehealth	40% no-shows for virtual consults	AI triage tool	Triage accuracy at 85% but poor patient trust	🟡	Hygiene: Add SMS reminders. Hero: Improve UX and trust signals in triage tool.
Fitness (Gym Chain)	Help members stay active and consistent	On-site classes, modern equipment	Member churn at 35% in year one	On-demand virtual training app	Engagement 3x higher than in-person classes	🟢	Hygiene: Add equipment maintenance SLA. Hero: Expand app with social features.

Conclusion

The Hero & Hygiene worksheet is less about features and more about honesty. It asks:

Where are we failing customers on the basics?
Where are our supposed “innovations” falling flat?
And where are we truly solving problems in ways that matter?

It’s a deceptively simple structure, but it forces clarity.

So — what do you think?
Have you tried something similar in your team?
Where do you see hygiene creeping upward in your industry?
And what might be the next hero move before it becomes tomorrow’s baseline?