Validation Experiments & Hypotheses
Critical Hypotheses
Hypothesis #1: Problem Existence 🔴 Critical
We believe that adults 50+ managing 3+ daily medications will actively seek better adherence solutions if they experience frequent missed doses due to complex regimens, side effects, or cost barriers We will know this is true when 65%+ of surveyed patients confirm adherence as a top-3 health concern AND 7%+ landing page conversion rate
Risk Level: 🔴 Critical | Current Evidence: Supporting: $300B annual cost data, 80% app abandonment rates | Gaps: Direct patient interviews needed
Hypothesis #2: Solution Fit 🔴 Critical
We believe that patients struggling with medication adherence will prefer an AI-powered coach that addresses root causes over basic reminder apps if it provides personalized interventions for their specific barriers (cost, side effects, complexity) We will know this is true when 70%+ of prototype users rate the intervention suggestions as "relevant" or "highly relevant"
Risk Level: 🔴 Critical | Current Evidence: Supporting: Competitor limitations documented | Gaps: Solution preference testing needed
Hypothesis #3: Willingness to Pay 🔴 Critical
We believe that adult children managing parents' medications will pay $4.99/month for MedMinder Pro if it reduces their anxiety about missed doses and provides actionable insights We will know this is true when 15+ pre-orders are collected at target price point
Risk Level: 🔴 Critical | Current Evidence: Supporting: Caregiver stress documented in literature | Gaps: Price sensitivity testing needed
Hypothesis #4: B2B Value Proposition 🔴 Critical
We believe that health plans managing high-risk populations will license MedMinder Pro at $2-5 PMPM if we demonstrate potential to reduce ER visits and hospitalizations through improved adherence We will know this is true when 3+ health plan pilot commitments are secured
Risk Level: 🔴 Critical | Current Evidence: Supporting: Value-based care incentives | Gaps: Direct health plan feedback needed
Hypothesis #5: Caregiver Engagement 🟡 High
We believe that adult children of elderly patients will actively use remote monitoring features if they receive timely, actionable alerts about missed doses We will know this is true when 50%+ of caregiver accounts have weekly active usage
Risk Level: 🟡 High | Current Evidence: Supporting: Family caregiving trends | Gaps: Caregiver behavior patterns unknown
Hypothesis #6: Pharmacy Integration Value 🟡 High
We believe that patients managing chronic conditions will use pharmacy price comparison and refill features if it saves them $20+ monthly on medications We will know this is true when 40%+ of users engage with pharmacy features monthly
Risk Level: 🟡 High | Current Evidence: Supporting: Prescription cost burden data | Gaps: Feature utility validation needed
Hypothesis #7: Root Cause Identification 🟡 High
We believe that patients will consistently provide reasons for missed doses if the process takes <15 seconds and provides immediate value We will know this is true when 60%+ of missed dose events include reason capture
Risk Level: 🟡 High | Current Evidence: Supporting: Behavioral economics principles | Gaps: User behavior in context unknown
Hypothesis #8: Channel Efficiency 🟢 Medium
We believe that adult children caregivers will discover MedMinder Pro through Facebook groups and Reddit communities if we provide valuable content about medication management We will know this is true when CAC is <$30 through these channels
Risk Level: 🟢 Medium | Current Evidence: Supporting: Online caregiver community activity | Gaps: Channel performance data needed
Experiment Catalog
Experiment #1: Problem Discovery Interviews
Hypothesis: #1
Method: 30 semi-structured interviews with target patients
Success: 65%+ confirm adherence as top-3 concern
Cost: $1,500 | Timeline: 2 weeks
Experiment #2: Landing Page Smoke Test
Hypothesis: #1, #2
Method: Landing page with waitlist + targeted ads
Success: >7% conversion rate
Cost: $800 | Timeline: 2 weeks
Experiment #3: Wizard of Oz MVP
Hypothesis: #2, #3
Method: Manual delivery of AI-powered analysis
Success: 70%+ find interventions relevant
Cost: $200 | Timeline: 4 weeks
Experiment #4: Pricing Survey
Hypothesis: #3
Method: Van Westendorp price sensitivity testing
Success: Optimal price point identified
Cost: $300 | Timeline: 1 week
Experiment #5: Health Plan Outreach
Hypothesis: #4
Method: Pilot proposal to 10 regional health plans
Success: 3+ pilot commitments
Cost: $0 | Timeline: 6 weeks
Experiment #6: Pre-Order Test
Hypothesis: #3
Method: Collect payments before full build
Success: 15+ pre-orders at $4.99/month
Cost: $200 | Timeline: 3 weeks
Experiment Prioritization Matrix
| Experiment | Hypothesis | Impact | Effort | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Interviews | #1 | 🔴 Critical | Medium | 1 |
| Landing Page Test | #1, #2 | 🔴 Critical | Low | 2 |
| Wizard of Oz MVP | #2, #3 | 🔴 Critical | High | 3 |
| Health Plan Outreach | #4 | 🔴 Critical | Medium | 4 |
| Pricing Survey | #3 | 🟡 High | Low | 5 |
8-Week Validation Sprint
Week 1-2: Problem Validation
- Launch landing page with waitlist
- Recruit 30 interview participants
- Conduct discovery interviews
- Run targeted Facebook/Google ads
Week 3-4: Solution Validation
- Analyze interview insights
- Build Wizard of Oz workflow
- Deliver to 20 early users
- Collect feedback and satisfaction scores
Week 5-6: Pricing & B2B
- Run pricing sensitivity survey
- Launch pre-order campaign
- Outreach to health plans
- Test pharmacy integration value
Week 7-8: Synthesis
- Compile all experiment results
- Make Go/No-Go decision
- Define MVP scope or pivot plan
- Prepare for seed funding round
Minimum Success Criteria (Go/No-Go)
| Category | Metric | Must Achieve | Nice-to-Have |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem | Interview confirmation | 65%+ | 80%+ |
| Problem | Landing page conversion | 7%+ | 12%+ |
| Solution | Intervention relevance | 70%+ | 85%+ |
| Pricing | Pre-orders collected | 15+ | 30+ |
| B2B | Health plan commitments | 3+ | 5+ |
Go Decision: All "Must Achieve" criteria met
Conditional Go: 70% of criteria met with clear path to remainder
No-Go Decision: <70% of criteria met with no clear fixes
Pivot Triggers & Contingency Plans
Trigger #1: Problem Doesn't Exist
Signal: <50% confirm adherence as significant concern
Action: Interview about actual medication management challenges
Pivot: Focus on refill logistics or cost optimization only
Trigger #2: Solution Doesn't Resonate
Signal: <50% find interventions relevant
Action: Deep-dive on missing elements and user expectations
Pivot: Simplify to cost-focused or caregiver-only solution
Trigger #3: Won't Pay Enough
Signal: Acceptable price <$2.99/month
Action: Test B2B2C model with pharmacy partnerships
Pivot: Freemium with pharmacy referral revenue
Trigger #4: B2B Resistance
Signal: Zero health plan pilot commitments
Action: Partner with pharmacy chains for distribution
Pivot: Focus on DTC with pharmacy partnership revenue