MVP Validation Checklist

Step-by-step guide to test assumptions before building

Phase 1: Problem Discovery (Week 1-2)

Identify target customer segment
Define specific demographics, behaviors, and pain points. Be as narrow as possible.
Conduct 10-15 problem interviews
Focus on understanding current solutions and biggest frustrations. Don't pitch your solution yet.
Document top 3 pain points
Validate that the problem is urgent, frequent, and expensive (painful enough to pay for).
Map current workarounds
Understand how users solve the problem today. This is your real competition.

Phase 2: Solution Validation (Week 3-4)

Create low-fidelity mockups
Wireframes or sketches - just enough to communicate the core value proposition.
Run 10+ solution interviews
Show mockups, watch reactions. Ask: "Would this solve your problem? How would you use it?"
Test willingness to pay
Ask: "What would you pay for this?" or "Would you pay $X/month?" Note reactions.
Get 5 email sign-ups
Create a simple landing page. Real interest = real email addresses.

Phase 3: MVP Experiment (Week 5-8)

Choose ONE MVP Type:

Smoke Test (Landing Page)
Build landing page, run ads, measure conversion. Goal: 100 sign-ups in 2 weeks.
Concierge MVP (Manual Service)
Deliver service manually to 5-10 customers. Learn what "good" looks like before automating.
Wizard of Oz (Fake Backend)
Build UI, handle requests manually behind scenes. Test if users adopt the interface.
Feature Prototype
Build 1 core feature end-to-end. Deploy to 10 beta users, measure daily active usage.

Phase 4: Validation Metrics (Week 8-12)

Activation: 40%+ complete setup
Track how many users complete onboarding and reach "aha moment."
Retention: 40%+ return next day
Day 1, Day 7, Day 30 retention. If low, product isn't sticky yet.
Referral: 30%+ invite others
Ask users to invite friends. High referral = strong product-market fit signal.
Revenue: 10+ paying customers
Convert early users to paid. Target: $1K+ MRR before Series A fundraising.

Decision: Build, Pivot, or Kill?

✅ BUILD: 40%+ users would be "very disappointed" without product (PMF survey)
Strong retention, growing organically, users paying or asking for features.
🔄 PIVOT: Some traction but wrong segment/feature/pricing
Users engage but don't stick. Change one variable at a time and re-test.
❌ KILL: No traction after 3 months, low engagement, can't get to 10 paying users
Move on. Better to fail fast than build something nobody wants.

📚 Resources

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