SkillSwap - Neighborhood Skill Exchange

Model: z-ai/glm-4.7
Status: Completed
Cost: $0.139
Tokens: 168,986
Started: 2026-01-05 00:17
Section 05: User Research & Validation Plan

05. User Research & Validation Plan

SkillSwap - Neighborhood Skill Exchange

Key Assumptions to Validate

High Risk

Problem: Trust Barrier

Assumption: Suburban residents are willing to let neighbors into their homes/gardens for services, provided there is a community vouch system.

MethodIn-home observation interviews
Target70%+ express comfort with vouching
Critical

Problem: Valuation Equity

Assumption: Users will accept an egalitarian "1 hour = 1 credit" system regardless of skill disparity (e.g., 1 hr Piano = 1 hr Lawn Mowing).

MethodTrade-off interviews (Van Westendorp variant)
Target60%+ perceive time-value as fair
High Risk

Solution: Critical Mass

Assumption: A "Community Champion" can successfully onboard 50+ neighbors in a single HOA to create a viable marketplace.

MethodPilot onboarding experiment
Target1 active HOA with 50 profiles in 4 weeks
Medium Risk

Solution: Frictionless UX

Assumption: Retirees (65+) can navigate a mobile-first PWA to schedule exchanges without significant training.

MethodUsability testing (Paper prototype)
TargetTask completion rate >80%
Critical

Business: HOA Willingness to Pay

Assumption: HOA boards will allocate budget ($99/mo) for a "community amenity" that increases social cohesion.

MethodDirect sales to 5 HOA Presidents
Target2 LOIs (Letters of Intent) or pre-payments
High Risk

Business: Premium Conversion

Assumption: Active users will upgrade to Premium ($4.99/mo) to bypass the 5-exchange monthly limit.

MethodIn-app paywall test (Fake door)
Target>5% conversion from free to paid

Customer Discovery Interview Guide

Target: 20-30 Interviews (Mix of HOA Presidents, Retirees, Young Parents)

Part 1: Context & Trust (10m)

  • Describe the last time you helped a neighbor or they helped you. What triggered that?
  • How well do you know the people on your street? (Names vs. Faces)
  • What is your biggest hesitation about asking a neighbor for a favor?

Part 2: The "Time" Concept (15m)

  • If you spent an hour fixing a neighbor's computer, how would you feel if they "paid" you by mowing your lawn for an hour? Is that fair?
  • Would you prefer a system where everything is 1 hour = 1 credit, or where skills have different "prices"?
  • Does the idea of "owing" a neighbor a favor make you uncomfortable?

Part 3: Current Behaviors (15m)

  • Show me your phone: Do you use Nextdoor or Facebook Groups? What for?
  • When you need a handyman or tutor, how do you find them? Walk me through that process.
  • What is the most frustrating part of hiring help for small tasks?

Part 4: Solution & Pricing (10m)

  • If your HOA offered a tool to connect skills, would you use it?
  • Would you pay $5/month to have unlimited exchanges, or is 5 a month enough?
  • Would you pay $50/year for a background check to access childcare exchanges?

Validation Survey Design

Screening Survey (Top of Funnel)

Purpose: Identify high-potential pilot neighborhoods.

Do you live in a neighborhood with an HOA?
How long have you lived in your current home?
Do you have a skill you could teach (tutoring, repair, arts)?
Is there a home maintenance task you've been putting off?
Key Filter: Must be willing to participate in a local pilot launch event.

Problem Severity Survey (Mid-Funnel)

Purpose: Quantify the pain of "service isolation."

Rate the difficulty of finding trusted help (1-10).
Have you purchased a service in the last 6 months that you felt a neighbor could have done?
Which is a bigger barrier: Cost of service or Trust of provider?
"I would trade my time for a neighbor's time rather than pay cash." (Agree/Disagree)

Validation Experiments

A. Landing Page "Concierge" Test

Instead of a static waitlist, the landing page will offer a "Free Neighborhood Skill Audit." We manually analyze their Nextdoor/FB group to see what skills are available vs. needed.

Headlines to Test:
  • "The Helper Next Door: Trade Skills, Not Money."
  • "Stop Paying for Handywork. Start Trusting Your Neighbors."
  • "Unlock the Hidden Talent in Your HOA."
Success Metric: >10% conversion to "Request Audit"
Budget: $500 (Geo-targeted FB ads)

B. Wizard of Oz MVP (The "Manual" Exchange)

Recruit 20 neighbors in one zip code. They text/email us what they need/offer. We manually match them and introduce them via email.

0 Lines of Code
20 Active Swappers
5+ Completed Exchanges

C. Fake Door: HOA Dashboard

Create a sales page targeting HOA Presidents for a "Community Dashboard" priced at $99/mo. Goal: Get 5 demo calls.

8-Week Validation Timeline

Weeks 1-2: Discovery

Problem Interviews & Recruitment

Conduct 15 interviews with homeowners. Launch screening survey on local Nextdoor groups. Identify 1 pilot HOA partner.

Weeks 3-4: Value Testing

Landing Page & Concept

Launch "Skill Audit" landing page ($300 ad spend). Test 3 headlines. Interview 5 HOA presidents regarding the $99/mo package.

Weeks 5-6: The "Manual" MVP

Wizard of Oz Execution

Onboard 20 users in the pilot neighborhood. Manually facilitate 10 exchanges. Measure satisfaction and trust levels post-exchange.

Weeks 7-8: Commitment

Pricing & Pre-Sales

Ask pilot users if they would pay $4.99/mo for the automated version. Secure 1 LOI from an HOA. Make Build/Kill decision.

Go/No-Go Decision Matrix

Metric Criteria to Proceed Status
Problem Validation
Interview confirmation		 80% confirm "hard to find trusted help"
Time-Equity Fairness
Concept validation		 60% accept 1hr=1hr model
Manual MVP Usage
Engagement		 10+ completed exchanges in pilot
HOA Interest
B2B Validation		 1 HOA President agrees to pilot
Willingness to Pay
Monetization		 40% say they would pay $4.99/mo
Decision Logic: If "Problem Validation" or "Manual MVP Usage" fails, PIVOT. (The core exchange mechanic is broken). If "HOA Interest" fails but B2C is high, ADJUST GTM to pure consumer play.

Research Synthesis Template

To be filled after Week 8.

🔴 Surprising Negative Findings

[e.g., People hated the "1 hour = 1 credit" idea for specialized skills like accounting.]

🟢 Surprising Positive Findings

[e.g., Retirees are the most active demographic, not young families.]

🎯 Most Requested "Must-Have"

[e.g., "I need to see a photo of the person before I meet them."]

💰 Price Sensitivity Insight

[e.g., Users preferred annual billing ($50/yr) over monthly to feel "committed."]