Trying a new approach: talk to users before building 😅

Love that you're flipping the script! Talking to users early saved me months of building the wrong thing. Biggest lesson: don't just ask if they like the idea—ask if they’d pay for it or have tried solving it already. That’s where the gold is. I would recommend reading The mom test if you haven’t already.

@helton_silva We posted about this on our newsletter (https://ideatbd.com/):

The $0 Validation Script

Step 1: Pick a friend

Not your cofounder, not your mom - someone who might actually have the problem your idea solves.

Step 2: Ask these 5 questions

(Ask them casually, like you're just curious - not running a user research lab.)

1. Can you walk me through the last time you did [X]?

2. What was the hardest or most annoying part about it?

3. What did you end up doing instead?

4. If someone built a fix for that, what would it have to include?

5. Is this problem annoying enough that you'd pay for a fix?

Don’t pitch your idea yet.

Just let them talk. You’re trying to understand the problem, not sell the solution.

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Step 3: Spot the Signals

You’re looking for one of these:

- They light up emotionally - "Ugh yes, that’s the worst."

- They already hacked a solution together - huge signal.

- They describe a pain your idea actually solves - naturally, without prompting.

If you hear crickets or confusion, good. You just saved yourself 3 months of wasted work.

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Step 4: Talk to 5 People

That’s it. Not 100.

Just 5 people who might deal with the problem.

Ask yourself:

- Did at least 3 describe a version of the same pain?

- Did your idea actually solve that pain?

- Was it significant enough that they’d care - or even pay - for a fix?

If yes → green light to MVP.

If no → either refine the problem or kill the idea.

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TL;DR

Ideas don’t need a prototype. They need a diagnosis.

Before you build, ask 5 real people how they’re surviving without you.

If they’re fine, your app isn’t needed.

If they’re frustrated - you’re onto something.

Where/How did you find the first people to talk to?

The accelerator I'm in stresses that before you build your MVP, do the "100 Challenge." As in speak to 100 random people (not friends nor family) about their pain points. Don't even bother building the MVP until you've talked to 100 people and can nail down the problem in a simple sentence.

In late 2023, we started our startup journey and answered 9 questions to go from idea to $$$ in 30 days:

• Are people talking about the problem or looking for a solution?

• Will people pay to solve this problem?

• Who will be our primary customer?

• Can we develop a solution that addresses the core problem within 2-3 days?

• Will this solution add value either by saving time or money for the user?

• How will we reach our primary customers to get feedback and first 10 sales?

• How will we collect testimonials from early adopters?

• What data do we need to track to gain insights?

• How can we bring 1,000+ users to our website?
  

I have shared our personal experience here. I hope this helps.

PS: We answered these questions for building a productized service, but I guess they are pretty much valid if you are building a SaaS as well.

Validation mistake I made early on: pitching the solution instead of probing the problem.

What helped was running 15-min user calls where I never mentioned my idea I just asked how they currently tackled the problem and where they got frustrated. The patterns that surfaced there were gold. I realized if they don’t feel the pain unprompted, the idea probably isn’t worth building.

Curious how you’re running those early convos are you framing the problem openly or showing the MVP already?

A tip from my own trials and errors: don’t just ask if people like your idea—dig deeper. Ask about their current frustrations, what solutions they’ve tried and why those failed. This helps avoid building a “solution looking for a problem.” Also, be ready to hear “no” or even silence; it’s not fun, but it’s gold for course correction.