idea-validation-checklist

Quick validation framework before building anything.

When to Use

This skill should be used when:

• •Evaluating a new product idea
• •Deciding whether to proceed with development
• •Comparing multiple potential projects
• •Reviewing an idea before significant investment

The Validation Checklist

Tier 1: Must Pass (All Required)

1. Pain Frequency

Question: Do people experience this problem weekly or daily?

How to verify:

• •Search Reddit/HN/Twitter for complaints
• •Look at forum activity in niche communities
• •Check Google Trends for problem-related searches
• •Interview 5 potential users

Red flags:

• •Problem is annual (tax software) - high CAC, low engagement
• •Problem is one-time (wedding planning) - no retention
• •Problem is theoretical ("wouldn't it be nice if...")

Score: [ ] Daily (5) [ ] Weekly (4) [ ] Monthly (3) [ ] Rarely (1) [ ] Never (0)

2. Willingness to Pay

Question: Are people already paying for inferior solutions?

How to verify:

• •Find existing products in the space
• •Check their pricing pages
• •Look at G2/Capterra for market size
• •Ask: "What do you currently use?"

Red flags:

• •Only free solutions exist (people won't pay)
• •Market is "free with ads" only
• •Potential users expect this to be free

Score: [ ] Yes, paying significant $ (5) [ ] Yes, paying some (4) [ ] Using free tools (2) [ ] Doing nothing (1)

3. Reachability

Question: Can you find and reach these people?

How to verify:

• •Where do they hang out online?
• •Is there a subreddit? Discord? Slack?
• •Can you buy ads to reach them?
• •Do you have warm intros?

Red flags:

• •Scattered across platforms
• •Privacy-conscious (hard to target)
• •No community gathering points
• •Only reachable through expensive channels

Score: [ ] Clear community (5) [ ] Multiple touchpoints (4) [ ] One channel (3) [ ] Unclear (1)

Tier 2: Should Pass (At Least 2 of 3)

4. Competition Gaps

Question: Why haven't incumbents solved this?

Acceptable reasons:

• •Technical debt (legacy code can't adapt)
• •Business model conflict (cannibalizes existing revenue)
• •Not their focus (too small for them, big for you)
• •New technology enables better solution

Red flags:

• •"They haven't thought of it" (they have)
• •"We'll be better" (how specifically?)
• •"No competition" (usually means no market)

Score: [ ] Clear structural gap (5) [ ] Timing advantage (4) [ ] Better execution only (2) [ ] No answer (0)

5. Technical Fit

Question: Can you build MVP in 2-4 weeks with your stack?

Your stack: Rust, Tauri, Next.js, Convex, Better Auth

Well-suited:

• •Local-first desktop apps (Tauri)
• •Real-time collaborative tools (Convex)
• •Full-stack web apps (Next.js + Convex)
• •Performance-critical backends (Rust)

Less suited:

• •Mobile-only apps (need React Native/Expo)
• •Heavy ML/AI compute (need Python/CUDA)
• •Hardware integration (need embedded expertise)

Score: [ ] Perfect fit (5) [ ] Good fit (4) [ ] Needs new tech (2) [ ] Wrong stack (0)

6. Distribution Strategy

Question: How will the first 100 users find you?

Strong strategies:

• •Community you're already part of
• •Content/SEO for high-intent searches
• •Partnerships with complementary tools
• •Viral mechanics built into product

Weak strategies:

• •"We'll figure it out"
• •Paid ads only (expensive at start)
• •PR/launch (one-time bump)
• •"Build it and they'll come"

Score: [ ] Clear channel (5) [ ] Multiple ideas (4) [ ] One idea (3) [ ] No plan (0)

Tier 3: Nice to Have

7. Unfair Advantage

Question: What do you have that others don't?

Types of advantages:

• •Founder fit: Deep domain expertise
• •Technical: Novel approach or capability
• •Network: Access to early users/partners
• •Timing: Early to new platform/trend
• •Cost: Can build cheaper/faster

Score: [ ] Strong advantage (5) [ ] Some advantage (3) [ ] No special advantage (1)

8. Market Timing

Question: Why now?

Good "why now" answers:

• •New technology enables this (AI, APIs, etc.)
• •Behavioral shift (remote work, mobile-first)
• •Regulatory change
• •Platform shift (new app store, social network)

Bad "why now" answers:

• •"It's always been needed" (then why hasn't it succeeded?)
• •No clear answer

Score: [ ] Clear catalyst (5) [ ] Reasonable timing (3) [ ] No specific trigger (1)

Scoring

Total Score: ____/40

Interpretation:

• •32-40: Strong candidate - proceed with confidence
• •24-31: Promising - address weak areas before building
• •16-23: Risky - need significant validation work first
• •Below 16: Red flag - reconsider or pivot concept

Tier Requirements

Minimum to proceed: Pass Tier 1 + Pass Tier 2

Quick Validation Actions

Week 1: Research (5 hours)

• • Search Reddit/HN/Twitter for pain points
• • Find 3 existing solutions, read their reviews
• • Identify 1-2 communities where users gather

Week 2: Conversations (5 hours)

• • Talk to 5 potential users (not friends/family)
• • Ask: What do you use now? What's frustrating?
• • Ask: Would you pay for X? How much?

Week 3: Prototype (10 hours)

• • Build ugliest possible working version
• • Get 3 people to actually use it
• • Watch them use it (don't explain)

Decision Point

After Week 3:

• •Users engaged without hand-holding? Continue
• •Users needed convincing? Pivot or kill

Template

## Idea: [Name]

### One-liner
[Describe in one sentence]

### Tier 1 (Must Pass)
| Criterion | Score | Evidence |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| Pain Frequency | /5 | |
| Willingness to Pay | /5 | |
| Reachability | /5 | |

### Tier 2 (Should Pass)
| Criterion | Score | Evidence |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| Competition Gaps | /5 | |
| Technical Fit | /5 | |
| Distribution | /5 | |

### Tier 3 (Nice to Have)
| Criterion | Score | Evidence |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| Unfair Advantage | /5 | |
| Market Timing | /5 | |

### Total: /40

### Verdict
[ ] Proceed [ ] More validation needed [ ] Kill