01 / Customer language
Can you quote the problem in the customer’s own words?
Collect repeated phrases from reviews, communities, support threads, interviews, or search queries. Familiar language is stronger than a polished internal description.
Free field guide / validation
Before you build it, prove the problem is carrying its own weight.
A practical validation checklist for turning a promising idea into a sharper, safer product bet.
Use it when
The idea feels exciting—but the evidence still feels fuzzy.
The checklist
Five questions that make the next move clearer.
Use the prompts below to separate a real, repeated customer problem from a story that only sounds good in a brainstorm. You do not need a giant audience or a perfect forecast—just enough evidence to earn the next step.
02 / Repeated behavior
Are people already spending time, money, or effort to work around it?
Look for workarounds, spreadsheets, stitched-together tools, rushed purchases, and recurring questions. Friction is evidence when it keeps showing up.
03 / Narrow wedge
Can you name the first person and first job this solves?
A specific starting customer gives you a testable promise. If the answer is “everyone,” the product boundary is not ready yet.
04 / Existing options
What do customers use today—and where does that option fall short?
Map the alternatives, including doing nothing. The gap is not “there is no tool”; it is the precise reason the current path is not good enough.
05 / Next test
What is the smallest test that could change your mind?
Choose one observable action: a pre-order, a paid pilot, a reply, a repeated-use prototype, or another behavior with a clear signal attached.
Make it tangible
Keep the evidence in the room.
Download the worksheet and write down what you can actually observe—not what you hope will be true.
The printable version
Take the questions offline.
A concise worksheet with the five prompts, ready for a quiet review or a working session with your team.
Keep the signal close
Get the next field note when it is ready.
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A better first question makes a better next move.
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