Questions to test product ideas

Avoiding false positives

Asking our family or friends what they think of our product idea is pretty pointless. We might get a response along the lines of: Yes, I love it. I am in desperate need of a AI-powered, NFT exchange where people communication in the metaverse via their VR headsets. I would use it every day. With that, we are all fired up to quit our job and pour everything we’ve got into our brilliant idea.

Principles to gain insight

Do you think it's a good idea? Awful question! Here’s the thing: only the market can tell if your idea is good. Everything else is just opinion. Unless you’re talking to a deep industry expert, this is self-indulgent noise with a high risk of false positives. - Rob Fitzpatrick

Airbnb was far from an instant success. Founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, struggled to get their business to grow. The turning point came when they met and spoke directly with their initial hosts and guests. One particular host shared extensive feedback with them which they acted upon. The perspective they gained from this and other conversations was hugely valuable. It ultimately enabled them to create a platform that revolutionised the hospitality industry.

Some of the principles used by the Airbnb founders when talking to their users included:

• Talk about user’s lives: Don’t pitch a solution upfront. Focus on understanding user’s problems, goals, and behaviours. This approach prevents bias and fosters genuine conversations.

• Seek specific examples: Avoid generics or opinions about the future. Rather than asking hypothetical questions, inquire about experiences and behaviours.

• Listen to user responses: Avoid the temptation to oversell or dominate the conversation. Uncover insights and understand a user’s perspective.

This approach avoided confirmation bias (confirming existing beliefs), focused on real needs and built rapport with users.

Good questions to ask

There are no facts inside the building so get the hell outside. - Steve Blank

In his book, The Mom Test, Rob Fitzpatrick suggests a similar approach to that used by Airbnb’s founders. Useful potential user questions might include:

• Why is what you are trying to do important? Understand their goals.

• What are the implications of that problem? Some problem matter and others don’t.

• Talk me through the last time that situation happened? Watching someone do a task will show us where the problems and inefficiencies really are.

• What else have you tried to solve the issue? If they haven’t looked for ways of solving it, they’re not going to look for (or buy) our solution.

• How are you dealing with it now? While it’s rare for someone to tell you precisely what they’ll pay you, they’ll often show you what it’s worth to them.

• Who else should I talk to? Leads can multiply.

• Is there anything else I should have asked? People often want to help us.

Other resources

Prototyping Everything Talk by Rob Fitzpatrick

Testing our Business Ideas post by Phil Martin

Finding Our Initial Customers post by Phil Martin

Rob Fitzpatrick sums it up. Deciding what to build is your job. The questions to ask are about your customers’ lives: their problems, cares, constraints, and goals.

Have fun.

Phil…

Photo: D Koi via Unsplash