4 ms·

Ask HN: How you validate idea before implementing it?

7 points by kodeshpa 15y ago

Joakal 15y ago
0) Set up an email invite request with one line of your offer of idea. 1) Look for competition. 2) Talk to friends/relatives. 3) Talk to target market. 4) Check 0). after some time. Ongoing) Reiterate on feedback. Maybe a black top border is 'in' like HN is doing just now.
- kodeshpa 15y ago
  Thanks this is helpful.
- nreece 15y ago
  Aside: the black top border on HN is to do with http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2712469 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2712469
ISeemToBeAVerb 15y ago
In a word, test. Testing is what you should be doing for everything, and that doesn't always mean BEFORE implementation. Some of the best feedback you can get is through implementing and THEN validating. If it works, keep it. If it fails, lose it. If you're worried about sinking time into an idea that you're not sure of, talk to people. Build out a single landing page with the core ideas on it and see if people bite. Test. Test. Test.
c_t_montgomery 15y ago
Fake doors. I saw @jesskah speak about these at an Ignite talk, and she did a great job. Here's the link (http://bit.ly/lQpnOY http://bit.ly/lQpnOY), but essentially it's putting up a "door" that leads to nowhere in your application, and you can see how many people try to check it out. Kind of like baiting for fish. Obviously you don't want to do this on a large scale, but check out the talk, it's only 5 minutes and she can explain it much better than I can.
tluyben2 15y ago
I saw this recently and it's quite interesting http://appsumo.com/google-docs-unleashed-free/ http://appsumo.com/google-docs-unleashed-free/ I never thought of that, but yeah, things do not have to be very complex or pretty to test it out.
iaskwhy 15y ago
My first step is to write all my ideas in a small notepad as soon as I have them and then I get them out of my head. Then after a month I check these ideas and see if any of them look even better with this distance in time thus validating it with myself. I have no formula for what's next though.

7 points by kodeshpa 15y ago

0) Set up an email invite request with one line of your offer of idea. 1) Look for competition. 2) Talk to friends/relatives. 3) Talk to target market. 4) Check 0). after some time. Ongoing) Reiterate on feedback. Maybe a black top border is 'in' like HN is doing just now.

kodeshpa 15y ago
Thanks this is helpful.
nreece 15y ago
Aside: the black top border on HN is to do with http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2712469 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2712469

ISeemToBeAVerb 15y ago

In a word, test. Testing is what you should be doing for everything, and that doesn't always mean BEFORE implementation. Some of the best feedback you can get is through implementing and THEN validating. If it works, keep it. If it fails, lose it. If you're worried about sinking time into an idea that you're not sure of, talk to people. Build out a single landing page with the core ideas on it and see if people bite. Test. Test. Test.

c_t_montgomery 15y ago

Fake doors. I saw @jesskah speak about these at an Ignite talk, and she did a great job. Here's the link (http://bit.ly/lQpnOY http://bit.ly/lQpnOY), but essentially it's putting up a "door" that leads to nowhere in your application, and you can see how many people try to check it out. Kind of like baiting for fish. Obviously you don't want to do this on a large scale, but check out the talk, it's only 5 minutes and she can explain it much better than I can.

tluyben2 15y ago

I saw this recently and it's quite interesting http://appsumo.com/google-docs-unleashed-free/ http://appsumo.com/google-docs-unleashed-free/ I never thought of that, but yeah, things do not have to be very complex or pretty to test it out.

iaskwhy 15y ago

My first step is to write all my ideas in a small notepad as soon as I have them and then I get them out of my head. Then after a month I check these ideas and see if any of them look even better with this distance in time thus validating it with myself. I have no formula for what's next though.