RecipeRoots - Family Recipe Preservation

Model: x-ai/grok-4.1-fast

Status: Completed

Cost: $0.053

Tokens: 147,932

Started: 2026-01-03 22:33

Section 05: User Research & Validation Plan

1. Key Assumptions to Validate

Critical assumptions categorized by problem, solution, and business viability. Prioritize high-risk items first.

Problem Assumptions

Assumption	Risk	Method	Target Evidence
Adults 35-55 frequently fail to recreate family recipes due to incomplete/inaccurate instructions (e.g., "pinch of salt").	High	Interviews, surveys	70%+ confirm failure 2+ times/year
Handwritten recipe cards are fading, lost, or deteriorating in 60%+ of households.	Medium	Surveys, observation	60%+ report physical loss/degradation
Stories/memories behind recipes are undocumented and at risk of loss with elders.	High	Interviews	80%+ express regret over lost stories
Younger generations (25-35) desire heritage recipes but lack access/accuracy.	Medium	Interviews, surveys	65%+ interest but 50%+ failure rate
Current apps lack emotional/story capture, leading to dissatisfaction.	High	Competitive analysis + interviews	75%+ cite "no stories" as gap
Life events (holidays, aging parents) trigger urgency to preserve recipes.	Low	Surveys	70%+ motivated by events
Users spend 5+ hours/year manually digitizing or recreating recipes.	Medium	Interviews	Avg. 6+ hours documented

Solution Assumptions

Assumption	Risk	Method	Target Evidence
Mobile photo/voice capture will be preferred for recipe entry.	High	Prototype testing	80%+ prefer over typing
AI photo-to-recipe extraction accurate for handwritten cards.	Critical	Expert testing	80%+ accuracy rating
Story prompts generate meaningful content.	Medium	Wizard of Oz	70%+ add stories
Family tree visualization drives sharing/engagement.	Medium	Clickable prototype	60%+ share intent
Print-on-demand cookbooks convert free users.	Low	Pre-orders	15%+ interest
Genealogy integrations add unique value.	Medium	Interviews	50%+ of secondary users excited
Offline access critical for preservation trust.	Low	Surveys	75%+ prioritize

Business Assumptions

Assumption	Risk	Method	Target Evidence
Users pay $7.99/mo for premium features.	Critical	Pricing surveys, pre-orders	10+ pre-orders at price
Freemium converts 20% to paid.	High	Landing page + waitlist	15%+ upgrade signals
CAC <$20 via Facebook/Instagram heritage ads.	High	Ad tests	Avg. CAC $18 in tests
Emotional lock-in yields 60% 6-mo retention.	High	Prototype cohorts	55%+ repeat use
Physical cookbooks generate $50 ARPU uplift.	Low	Pre-orders	20%+ order interest

2. Customer Discovery Interview Guide (60-90 min)

Target 25 interviews: 15 primary (35-55), 5 secondary (genealogists), 5 tertiary (25-35). Recruit via Facebook groups (family cooking, genealogy), Reddit (r/recipes, r/Genealogy), $50 Amazon gift card.

Part 1: Background (10 min)
- Role in family cooking/preservation? Experience level?
- How long preserving family recipes? Biggest challenges?

Part 2: Problem (20 min)
- Last time you tried Grandma's recipe—what went wrong?
- Frequency of recipe loss/failure? Triggers (holidays, elders passing)?
- How do fading cards/stories impact you emotionally?
- Time/money spent digitizing manually?

Part 3: Current Solutions (15 min)
- Tools used (Paprika, notes app)? Likes/dislikes?
- Ever scanned cards? What failed?
- Willingness to switch for story capture?

Part 4: Solution (15 min)
- Tool for photo/voice capture + AI conversion + story prompts?
- Value in family tree view/print books?
- Concerns (privacy, accuracy)? Must-haves?
- Monthly price expectation? Approvers?

Part 5: Wrap-up (10 min)
- Pain scale 1-10? Beta interest?
- Refer others?

Logistics: Record w/ Otter.ai, template: quotes, pain scores, pricing.

3. Survey Designs

Screening Survey (Target: 300 responses via Facebook/Reddit ads, $200 budget)

Age group? [25-34] [35-44] [45-54] [55+]

Do you have family recipes to preserve? [Yes, urgent] [Yes] [No]

Tried digitizing handwritten recipes? [Yes, failed] [Yes, ok] [No]

Pain level preserving stories/recipes (1-10)?

Interest in 30-min interview? ($50 card) [Yes: email]

Validation Survey (15 q, Typeform, target 150)

Frequency of recipe challenges (weekly/monthly).
Satisfaction w/ current apps (NPS).
A/B messaging: "Preserve Grandma's secrets" vs. "Build your recipe family tree".
Van Westendorp: Too cheap/expensive thresholds ($5-15/mo).
Demographics for segmentation.

4. Landing Page Experiment

Build on Carrd/Webflow. Drive 1,500 visitors ($800 FB ads targeting "family recipes", genealogy).

A/B Headlines: 1. "Capture Grandma's Recipes & Stories Before They're Gone" | 2. "Build Your Family's Culinary Heritage Tree" | 3. "AI Turns Fading Cards into Forever Recipes"
Metrics: >5% signup (75+ emails), >20% scroll, <15% bounce.
Success: 100+ quality signups.

5-6. Prototype & Fake Door Tests

Recommended: Wizard of Oz (manual AI-assisted delivery to 15 users). Cost: $0 + 20 hrs.

Option	Cost	Timeline	Best For
Wizard of Oz	$0	3 wks	Pain/solution fit
Concierge MVP	$0	5 wks	Family dynamics
Figma Prototype	$300	2 wks	UX flows

Fake Door: "Start Preserving Now" → waitlist. >12% click.
Pre-Order: $29/yr early bird (refundable). >3% conv., 10+ payments.

7. 8-Week Validation Timeline

Wk 1-2: Problem

15 interviews, 300 screening surveys, pattern analysis.

Wk 3-4: Solution

Landing A/B ($800 ads), 150 validation surveys, 100 waitlist.

Wk 5-6: Business

Pricing interviews (15), fake door/pre-orders (target 15).

Wk 7-8: Prototype

Wizard Oz to 15 users, NPS/feedback, iterate.

Progress bar: Problem (red) → Business (green).

8. Go/No-Go Criteria

Metric	Target	Actual	Pass?
Interviews: Pain confirmation	75%+
Landing signup	>5%
Price acceptance	65% @ $7.99
Pre-orders	12+
Prototype NPS	>45

Go if 4/5 pass; No-Go → pivot or kill.

9. Research Synthesis Template

Problem: Top pains/quotes/unexpected (e.g., "Privacy fears higher than expected").
Solution: Must-haves (AI accuracy)/ignores (maps).
Pricing: Optimal $9.99/mo, anchors to Paprika.
GTM: FB groups key, objections: elder buy-in.

Total budget: $2,000. Next: Execute Week 1.