Gains in the Value Proposition Canvas refer to the positive outcomes and benefits that customers seek when completing a task. They describe what makes customers satisfied or happy, what they wish for, and what would positively surprise them. Gains are the counterpart to Pains and, together with Jobs-to-be-Done, form the core of the customer profile.
Gains are categorized into four levels: Required Gains are basic prerequisites without which a solution does not work (a phone must be able to make calls). Expected Gains are taken for granted (good voice quality). Desired Gains go beyond that (long battery life, good camera). Unexpected Gains surprise positively and create delight (automatic scene recognition in the camera). For designing a value proposition, this gradation is decisive: Required and Expected Gains are mandatory, while Desired and Unexpected Gains create differentiation.
The concept comes from the Value Proposition Canvas by Osterwalder. In practice, teams often formulate Gains too abstractly. Instead of “better efficiency,” a Gain should be concrete and measurable, such as “accounting completed in 30 instead of 120 minutes per week.”
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