User Research & Validation Plan
1. Key Assumptions to Validate
| Assumption | Risk | Method | Target Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent businesses struggle to compete with chain loyalty programs. | High | Interviews, surveys | 80% of businesses confirm this pain point. |
| Current loyalty solutions are fragmented and ineffective. | High | Competitive analysis + interviews | Specific complaints documented from 60% of users. |
| Consumers prefer loyalty programs that offer tangible benefits. | Medium | Surveys, interviews | 70% of consumers express interest in a local loyalty program. |
| Users will adopt a unified app for local business rewards. | High | Prototype testing, landing page | 50%+ sign up or express interest. |
| Users will pay $29/month for basic access. | Critical | Pricing tests, pre-orders | 10+ paying customers at target price. |
| Customer acquisition cost (CAC) will be under $50. | High | Ad tests, channel experiments | Proven CAC in test campaigns. |
2. Customer Discovery Interview Guide
Interview Framework (60-90 minutes):
- Background & Context (10 min):
- Tell me about your role and what you do day-to-day.
- How long have you been doing this?
- What are your biggest challenges right now?
- Problem Exploration (20 min):
- Walk me through the last time you faced a challenge in customer loyalty.
- How often does this happen?
- What triggers this situation?
- How does it make you feel when this happens?
- What's the worst part about it?
- What have you tried to solve it?
- How much time/money do you spend on this currently?
- Current Solutions (15 min):
- What tools or methods do you currently use for loyalty programs?
- What do you like about them?
- What do you wish was different?
- Have you ever switched solutions? Why?
- What would make you switch again?
- Solution Exploration (15 min):
- If I told you there was a tool that offers unified loyalty...
- 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?
- Wrap-up (10 min):
- On a scale of 1-10, how painful is this problem for you?
- Would you be interested in being a beta tester?
- Who else should I talk to about this?
Interview Logistics:
- Target interviews: 20-30 minimum
- Persona mix: Ensure coverage across all target personas
- Recruitment channels: LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, warm intros
- Incentive: $50 gift card or free year of product
- Recording: Ask permission, use Otter.ai or similar
- Note-taking template: Problem quotes, solution reactions, pricing signals
3. Survey Design
Screening Survey (5-10 questions):
Purpose: Build a pool of validated target users for deeper research
- What best describes your role?
- [ ] Solo founder/indie hacker
- [ ] Product manager at a startup
- [ ] Product manager at enterprise
- [ ] Consultant/advisor
- [ ] Other: ___
- Have you launched or been involved in launching a new product in the last 2 years?
- [ ] Yes, multiple times
- [ ] Yes, once
- [ ] No, but planning to
- [ ] No
- How do you currently validate product ideas before building?
- [ ] Customer interviews
- [ ] Landing page tests
- [ ] I don't validate systematically
- [ ] I use consultants
- [ ] Other: ___
- On a scale of 1-10, how painful is the process of validating product ideas?
- [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
- How much time do you typically spend on idea validation?
- [ ] Less than 1 week
- [ ] 1-4 weeks
- [ ] 1-3 months
- [ ] 3+ months
- What's your budget for validation activities?
- [ ] $0 (DIY only)
- [ ] $1-$500
- [ ] $500-$2,000
- [ ] $2,000-$10,000
- [ ] $10,000+
- Would you be interested in a 30-minute interview about your validation process? ($50 gift card)
- [ ] Yes, contact me at: ___
- [ ] No
4. Landing Page Validation Experiment
Experiment Design:
Goal: Validate demand before building
Setup:
- Create landing page describing the product
- Include clear value proposition
- Add email signup (waitlist)
- Optional: Add pricing tiers (fake door test)
- Drive traffic via ads or organic
Headlines to Test (A/B):
- "Validate your product idea in 24 hours"
- "AI-powered viability analysis for founders"
- "Know if your startup will succeed before you build"
Metrics to Track:
- Unique visitors
- Time on page
- Scroll depth
- Waitlist signup rate
- Click-through on pricing (if showing)
Success Criteria:
- >1,000 visitors in 2 weeks
- >5% signup rate (50+ emails)
- Email quality: <10% bounce rate
Budget: $500-$1,000 on Google/Facebook ads
5. Prototype Testing Plan
Prototype Options:
- Wizard of Oz (Manual):
- Collect user input via Google Form
- Manually generate analysis using AI prompts
- Send results via email
- Test willingness to pay after delivery
- Cost: $0 + time
- Timeline: 2-4 weeks
- Concierge MVP:
- High-touch service for 10-20 users
- Founder manually guides through process
- Learn what users really need
- Cost: $0 + time
- Timeline: 4-6 weeks
- Clickable Prototype:
- Use Figma/Framer for interactive mockup
- Show full workflow without functionality
- Measure user reactions and navigation
- Cost: $200-$500 for tools
- Timeline: 1-2 weeks
Recommended Approach:
Start with Option A or B to maximize learning before any code.
6. Fake Door & Pre-Order Tests
Fake Door Design:
- Button or feature that doesn't exist yet
- Measure click rate to gauge demand
- Show "Coming soon" message after click
- Collect email for notification
Pre-Order Design:
- Offer discounted early-bird pricing
- Collect payment (refundable if not launched)
- Measures actual willingness to pay
- Sets deadline for launch commitment
Success Metrics:
- Fake door click rate: >10% indicates strong demand
- Pre-order conversion: >2% of visitors paying
- Refund rate: <20% after delivery
7. Validation Experiment Timeline
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
8. 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 | - | ☐ |
9. User Research Synthesis Template
After completing validation, document:
- Problem Validation Summary:
- Top 3 validated pain points
- Quotes from users (evidence)
- Unexpected findings
- Assumptions that were wrong
- Solution Validation Summary:
- Most compelling features
- Features users don't care about
- UX concerns raised
- Integration needs identified
- Pricing Validation Summary:
- Optimal price point
- Price sensitivity by segment
- Value anchors (what they compare to)
- Pricing model preferences
- Go-to-Market Insights:
- Where users hang out
- How they discover solutions
- Decision-making process
- Buying objections