sbrodhagen
New member
As a PM working at tech companies in the US, I used to think that the fastest way of validating a concept was through an MVP (minimum viable product). At my past companies, it'd take about 4 to 6 weeks to ship an MVP (initial research, PRD, code, QA, ship, post-ship analysis).
But a few years ago, I learned a faster way to validate an idea from a product leader (Teresa Torres). It's a way to validate an idea in just 1 day with 5 users.
Seems too good to be true. Seems like fake news. But it's not... but it's also not what you expect either.
Let me explain how it works, and you'll see what I mean.
Start with the MVP you're thinking of building.
Then, think about all of the assumptions that you have about the MVP.
For example, at the onboarding step, you assume that users will know what to click to go to the next screen. That seems like it's a fact to you (it's so obvious!), but in reality, it's an assumption. We assume it's intuitive that users know what to click (but it's not a fact).
Another example is that after users read your landing page, they will find sufficient value for your prodcut or service that they will pay for it. Once again, this is an assumption you're making. Maybe you're only 50% confident about this one.
These are just 2 assumptions, but you can think of many more assumptions. The point is NOT to test them all - nor should you. Because there are some assumptions that are super important to the success of your MVP, and others that are not that important. Plus, there are some assumptions that you're 99% sure about, and others where you are only 1% sure about.
What you want to do is narrow down your list of assumptions to the top 2 or 3 assumptions that
1) are super important to the success of your MVP (i.e., they need to be true... otherwise, your MVP will fail) and
2) you have very low confidence in.
Then, you test those assumptions with 5 users.
Why 5 users?
HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!??!!?!
j/k great question - you should always exercise critical thinking
I chose 5 users for this example but it could be higher or lower - it really depends on you. How many users do you need to talk to in order to feel good about the general direction (we're NOT looking for 100% confidence at this step).
Okay, then what do we test?
Using our example of "at this step, users will buy my product / service" - you can think, "What's a super cheap & fast way you can test this?"
Well, you can come up with a quick mock up of the screen (pencil sketch may be okay). Then, you can ask 5 users a simple question:
What would you do next?
If 2 out of 5 users say they'll buy, then you know you're on to something. You're not 100% sure - it's not statistically significant, but at this step, you're not looking to be 100% sure. All you want to know is whether you're going in the general right direction.
BUT.... if 0 out of 5 users say they'll buy, well... this is an issue. That means that the core assumption of this MVP (i.e., it produces enough value that they'll buy) is untrue... because if 0 out of 5 users say they will NOT buy, this is a sign that there isn't enough value with your MVP.
So from here, you have a few choices:
1) fix your MVP so that it adds more value or
2) make your value proposition clearer in your copy or explanation or
3) you realize this MVP is not what you should be building, and you move on to something else.
If you decide #3 is the right option for you, then... wow....
Let's take a moment to think about what this means...
You just saved yourself DAYS / WEEKS of valuable time (building the MVP, marketing it, etc....) with an investment of 1 day and 5 users!
That's an unbelievable ROI (return on investment)!
Essentially, what you did was increase your learning velocity aka the pace at which you learn about your product, customers, and market.
Indie hackers who ship fast is good, but those that maximize their learning velocity is better.
Hope this helps y'all ship faster, and learn even faster!
But a few years ago, I learned a faster way to validate an idea from a product leader (Teresa Torres). It's a way to validate an idea in just 1 day with 5 users.
Seems too good to be true. Seems like fake news. But it's not... but it's also not what you expect either.
Let me explain how it works, and you'll see what I mean.
Start with the MVP you're thinking of building.
Then, think about all of the assumptions that you have about the MVP.
For example, at the onboarding step, you assume that users will know what to click to go to the next screen. That seems like it's a fact to you (it's so obvious!), but in reality, it's an assumption. We assume it's intuitive that users know what to click (but it's not a fact).
Another example is that after users read your landing page, they will find sufficient value for your prodcut or service that they will pay for it. Once again, this is an assumption you're making. Maybe you're only 50% confident about this one.
These are just 2 assumptions, but you can think of many more assumptions. The point is NOT to test them all - nor should you. Because there are some assumptions that are super important to the success of your MVP, and others that are not that important. Plus, there are some assumptions that you're 99% sure about, and others where you are only 1% sure about.
What you want to do is narrow down your list of assumptions to the top 2 or 3 assumptions that
1) are super important to the success of your MVP (i.e., they need to be true... otherwise, your MVP will fail) and
2) you have very low confidence in.
Then, you test those assumptions with 5 users.
Why 5 users?
HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!??!!?!
j/k great question - you should always exercise critical thinking
I chose 5 users for this example but it could be higher or lower - it really depends on you. How many users do you need to talk to in order to feel good about the general direction (we're NOT looking for 100% confidence at this step).
Okay, then what do we test?
Using our example of "at this step, users will buy my product / service" - you can think, "What's a super cheap & fast way you can test this?"
Well, you can come up with a quick mock up of the screen (pencil sketch may be okay). Then, you can ask 5 users a simple question:
What would you do next?
If 2 out of 5 users say they'll buy, then you know you're on to something. You're not 100% sure - it's not statistically significant, but at this step, you're not looking to be 100% sure. All you want to know is whether you're going in the general right direction.
BUT.... if 0 out of 5 users say they'll buy, well... this is an issue. That means that the core assumption of this MVP (i.e., it produces enough value that they'll buy) is untrue... because if 0 out of 5 users say they will NOT buy, this is a sign that there isn't enough value with your MVP.
So from here, you have a few choices:
1) fix your MVP so that it adds more value or
2) make your value proposition clearer in your copy or explanation or
3) you realize this MVP is not what you should be building, and you move on to something else.
If you decide #3 is the right option for you, then... wow....
Let's take a moment to think about what this means...
You just saved yourself DAYS / WEEKS of valuable time (building the MVP, marketing it, etc....) with an investment of 1 day and 5 users!
That's an unbelievable ROI (return on investment)!
Essentially, what you did was increase your learning velocity aka the pace at which you learn about your product, customers, and market.
Indie hackers who ship fast is good, but those that maximize their learning velocity is better.
Hope this helps y'all ship faster, and learn even faster!