User Research & Validation Plan for Clinical Trial Navigator
Key Assumptions to Validate
| Assumption | Risk | Method | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients find the current process of discovering clinical trials overwhelming. | High | Interviews, surveys | 80%+ confirm pain |
| AI can translate complex eligibility criteria into plain language. | Critical | Prototype testing, expert review | 90%+ readability improvement |
| Patients and caregivers are willing to pay for premium features. | High | Pricing tests, pre-orders | 10+ paying customers at target price |
| Patients will use the platform to track multiple trials. | Medium | Usage analytics, interviews | 50%+ track multiple trials |
| Pharma companies will see value in ethical patient recruitment. | Medium | Partnership discussions, surveys | 5+ partnerships |
Customer Discovery Interview Guide
Part 1: Background & Context (10 min)
- Tell me about your role and what you do day-to-day.
- How long have you been dealing with your current health condition?
- What are your biggest challenges right now?
Part 2: Problem Exploration (20 min)
- Walk me through the last time you searched for clinical trials.
- How often does this happen?
- What triggers this situation?
- How does it make you feel when you find the process overwhelming?
- What's the worst part about it?
- What have you tried to solve it?
- How much time/money do you spend on this currently?
Part 3: Current Solutions (15 min)
- What tools or methods do you currently use for finding trials?
- What do you like about them?
- What do you wish was different?
- Have you ever switched solutions? Why?
- What would make you switch again?
Part 4: Solution Exploration (15 min)
- If I told you there was a tool that simplifies finding and tracking clinical trials...
- What would be most valuable about that?
- What concerns would you have?
- What would it need to have for you to try it?
- How much would you expect to pay for something like this?
- Who else would need to approve this purchase?
Part 5: Wrap-up (10 min)
- On a scale of 1-10, how painful is the process of finding clinical trials for you?
- Would you be interested in being a beta tester?
- Who else should I talk to about this?
8-Week Validation Plan
Week 1-2: Problem Validation
- Conduct 10-15 customer discovery interviews.
- Send screening survey (target 200+ responses).
- Analyze interview transcripts for patterns.
- Document validated vs. invalidated assumptions.
Week 3-4: Solution Validation
- Create landing page with 3 headline variants.
- Run A/B test with $500 ad spend.
- Launch waitlist (target 100+ signups).
- Follow up with 20 survey responses for deeper feedback.
Week 5-6: Willingness to Pay Validation
- Conduct 10 pricing interviews.
- Run Van Westendorp pricing survey.
- Test fake door with pricing tiers.
- Attempt 5-10 pre-orders at target price.
Week 7-8: Prototype Validation
- Build Wizard of Oz MVP.
- Deliver to 10-20 early users.
- Collect NPS and qualitative feedback.
- Iterate on core value proposition.
Go/No-Go Decision Criteria
| Metric | Target | Actual | Pass? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview problem validation | 80%+ confirm pain | ||
| Landing page signup rate | >5% | ||
| Price acceptance | 60%+ at target price | ||
| Pre-orders | 10+ customers | ||
| Prototype NPS | >40 |