By Tangenix · Published 2026-10-23 · Free template

Customer Alternatives Mapping Template

Map the tools, manual steps and do-nothing options a customer actually uses before framing your app’s positioning.

When to use this template

Use this when the team lists only direct software competitors but customers may be using spreadsheets, email, an assistant or no formal process at all.

Choose another approach when: You want to invent competitor weaknesses, publish unverified comparisons, or assume every workaround should be replaced by software.

Gather these inputs

Specific customer accounts of how the task is currently handled.
The task outcome and constraints that make an alternative acceptable.
Verified documentation for any named product claim you plan to publish.

Copy and adapt the template

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Customer Alternatives Mapping Template: editable text

Worked example

Illustrative example, not a Crany customer result. Replace every example detail with facts you can verify.

Task: keep final client handoff instructions accessible.
Alternative A: a shared document, chosen because the client already knows how to open it.
Alternative B: a recorded walkthrough, useful for visual steps but harder to scan for one answer.
Alternative C: no formal handoff, acceptable when the founder continues managing the site.
These are illustrative workflows, not findings about a named company. The map does not assume the app wins; it asks which circumstance makes a different approach worthwhile and what the customer would need to change.

How to use it

Ask what people actually used the last time they completed the task.
Record strengths, limits and switching effort without starting from your feature list.
Use the map to qualify positioning and verify any factual public comparison separately.

Check before using it

Manual work and doing nothing are considered legitimate alternatives.
Competitor claims have current supporting sources before publication.
The app is not presented as necessary when the existing approach is sufficient.

What to measure

Observe which alternatives recur in relevant conversations and which switching constraints block real trials. This map explains a decision context; it does not establish competitor market share or superiority.

Research and sources

The sources support investigating existing alternatives and providing accurate useful information. The mapping structure is original editorial analysis, not an independent product comparison or an endorsement.

Yale: User Interview Example Questions — checked 2026-10-23. Interview structure, current tasks, past experience, alternative workflows and discovery paths.
Teresa Torres: Customer Interviews — checked 2026-10-23. Story-based interviews about goals, needs and context; separate discovery from selling.
Google: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content — checked 2026-10-23. Original value, useful answers, transparent sourcing and a clear audience.

This original template and worked example were prepared with AI assistance. Source documentation supports the principles stated above; it does not endorse Crany or guarantee this template’s performance.

About Crany

Crany is an AI marketing co-founder in development for software founders and vibe coders, designed to strategize, execute approved marketing and improve based on results. This free resource is usable independently of the product. Join the public waitlist.