Scope the first release of a startup's app-controlled shower water heater

You are the product manager at a startup that sells shower water heaters people can control remotely. Write the problem statement this product solves, then plan its MVP. ```hint Start from the minutes before the shower Picture what happens before someone wants a hot shower when the heater can only be operated in person. A sharp problem statement comes from that moment, and the MVP only has to prove the problem is worth solving. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does the startup build a complete smart heater, or a controller that connects heaters people already own? - Are we targeting storage-tank heaters, which need time to heat up, or tankless units that heat water on demand? - Who buys first: homeowners and renters directly, or heater manufacturers, retailers and installers who bundle the product? - Which market and home type come first, for example apartments with a separate heater per bathroom or houses with one central heater? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A problem statement that names the user, the moment of pain and what current heaters cannot do - A chosen first segment and use case, with the reason the other segments wait - An MVP scoped to test the riskiest assumption, with what is deliberately cut - Hardware realities: installation, connectivity, electrical and water safety, certification - Success metrics and the learning plan that decides what follows the MVP ### Follow-up Questions - How would you test demand before committing to manufacturing hardware? - If early users rely on schedules and almost never use remote control, how would the roadmap change? - How would your plan change if a large heater manufacturer offered to build your controller into its units?