How to define what you need before you compare

Guide · 5 min read

Start with a sentence, not a list

Most people begin shopping with a list of features. “It needs a big screen, a fast charger, water resistance…” The problem is that a wish list treats every feature as equally important — so a comparison tells you nothing.

Instead, start by finishing one sentence: “I need something that will help me ______.” That gap is your use case, and it’s the single most valuable thing you can write down.

Name the job, then the constraints

Once you know the job, add the few hard constraints. Two are usually enough to shape a shortlist:

1. Budget. Not one number — a range you’re comfortable with. “£400–£700” beats “cheap” every time.
2. Non-negotiables. The things you would genuinely walk away over, not the nice-to-haves.

Rank the rest

Everything else — battery life, design, included software — goes into a ranked “preferences” list. You’re not discarding it; you’re deciding which trade-off you’d accept when options conflict. Two options that both fit your requirements will differ exactly here, and that’s where your ranking becomes useful.

Turn it into three lines

By the end you should be able to write your whole brief as three lines:

1. Use case: what I’ll mainly do with it.
2. Budget: the range I’m working with.
3. Priorities, in order: what I won’t compromise on first.

That’s exactly the shape of a ProductMotive match — which is a good sign. When your requirements fit in three lines, any comparison you do, on this site or anywhere else, will be quick and honest.