Idea validation and customer research
Test a sales or product idea against real buyer behavior.
Work through the steps
- Write the riskiest assumption: who has the problem, how costly it is, or whether they will commit to a solution. Define what evidence would change your mind.
- Use AI to draft a neutral interview guide about recent behavior. Ask about the last time the problem occurred, current alternatives, consequences, and constraints.
- Conduct real interviews and keep observations separate from interpretations. Ask AI to organize notes and find contrary evidence. Synthetic personas can help rehearse, but cannot validate demand.
- Choose a small next experiment such as a clearly described pilot or prototype task. Predefine the commitment you want to observe, then decide whether to continue, change, or stop.
In practice
“Would you use this?” invites politeness. “Tell me about the last time you solved this problem” reveals actual behavior, existing workarounds, and switching costs.
A prompt to make your own
Replace the brackets with approved context. Ask the assistant to identify missing information before proceeding, and review its output against your sources.
For this idea, identify the three riskiest assumptions and draft eight non-leading interview questions about past behavior. Propose a small test for the highest-risk assumption, with evidence that would support, weaken, or reject it. Do not invent market demand. Idea: [paste].
Your assignment
Interview five relevant buyers and document one finding that challenged your original idea.
What to measure
Observed problem frequency and meaningful commitments, not compliments.