Validation Experiments & Hypotheses
Hypothesis #1: Problem Existence 🔴 Critical
We believe that suburban homeowners and retirees will actively seek a platform to exchange skills and services without money, valuing community connection and mutual support, if we provide a user-friendly, trustworthy, and egalitarian time-based credit system. We will know this is true when we see 60%+ of surveyed potential users confirm this as a top-3 community need and 5%+ of landing page visitors sign up for the waitlist.
Hypothesis #2: Solution Fit 🔴 Critical
We believe that the same target users will prefer using SkillSwap over traditional options (hiring professionals, asking favors, or using existing platforms like TaskRabbit or Nextdoor) if we deliver a seamless, skill-matching experience with strong community trust features. We will know this is true when 70%+ of beta testers rate the platform as "useful" or "very useful" for their skill exchange needs.
Hypothesis #3: Willingness to Pay 🔴 Critical
We believe that a significant portion of active users will be willing to pay a premium subscription ($4.99/month) for unlimited exchanges, priority matching, and additional features if we provide clear value through high-quality matches and community engagement. We will know this is true when 30%+ of users opt for the premium tier within the first 6 months of using the free version.
Experiment Catalog
| Experiment | Hypothesis Tested | Method | Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Interviews | #1 | Semi-structured interviews with 20 suburban homeowners and retirees | % confirming problem as top-3 community need |
| Landing Page Test | #1, #2 | Landing page with waitlist signup, driving traffic via social media ads | Signup rate, bounce rate |
| Wizard of Oz MVP | #2, #3 | Manual, curated skill matching for 10 users, with follow-up surveys | User satisfaction, willingness to pay |
8-Week Validation Sprint
Week 1-2: Problem discovery interviews and landing page setup
Week 3-4: Launch landing page test, begin Wizard of Oz MVP
Week 5-6: Analyze results, refine hypothesis, prepare for pilot launch
Week 7-8: Pilot launch in 3 communities, monitor and adjust
Minimum Success Criteria (Go/No-Go)
- 60%+ confirmation of problem existence
- 5%+ landing page conversion rate
- 70%+ user satisfaction with Wizard of Oz MVP
- 30%+ willingness to pay for premium features