Phase 4: Validation | Bootspring Docs

Duration: 1-2 days

Validate your assumptions with real potential users before building.

Overview#

The Validation phase tests your preseed documents against reality. This is your opportunity to discover flaws in your thinking before investing weeks or months in development.

Why Validation Matters#

Without Validation:
  Preseed → Seed → Build → Launch → Discover problem doesn't exist
  (Months wasted)

With Validation:
  Preseed → Validate → Learn → Iterate → Seed → Build
  (Build the right thing)

80% of startups fail because they build something nobody wants. Validation dramatically reduces this risk.

Validation Types#

1. Problem Validation#

Does the problem actually exist and matter?

2. Solution Validation#

Does your proposed solution resonate?

3. Audience Validation#

Are you targeting the right people?

4. Pricing Validation#

Will people pay what you're asking?

5. Differentiation Validation#

Do your differentiators actually matter?

Problem Validation#

The Mom Test#

Use "The Mom Test" framework: Ask questions that even your mom couldn't lie to you about.

Bad Questions:

"Do you think this is a good idea?" (They'll say yes to be nice)
"Would you use this?" (Hypotheticals are unreliable)
"Is task management a problem?" (Leading question)

Good Questions:

"Tell me about the last time you felt overwhelmed by tasks"
"What did you do about it?"
"How much time do you spend on task management daily?"
"What have you tried? What worked? What didn't?"
"How much does this problem cost you?"

Interview Guide#

Prepare a structured interview guide:

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Interview Targets#

Segment	Interviews	Notes
Primary ICP	5-10	Your main focus
Adjacent segments	3-5	Test expansion
Skeptics	2-3	Challenge assumptions

What to Look For#

Strong Problem Signals:

They've actively tried to solve this
They've paid for solutions
Emotional response when describing problem
Specific stories and examples
Quantified impact ("I lose 3 hours daily")

Weak Problem Signals:

"Yeah, that's kind of annoying"
Can't recall specific examples
Haven't tried to solve it
Problem is vague or abstract
No emotional weight

Solution Validation#

Show, Don't Tell#

Create materials to share your solution:

One-pager: Export your VISION.md summary
Mockups: Create simple UI mockups (Figma, even paper)
Demo video: 2-minute Loom explaining the concept

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Validation Questions#

After sharing your solution concept:

"What's your initial reaction?"
"What questions do you have?"
"What would make this better?"
"What's missing?"
"Would this solve the problem you described?"
"What concerns would you have?"

Landing Page Test#

Create a simple landing page to test interest:

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Measure:

Conversion rate (email signups)
Traffic sources that convert
Bounce rate by segment
Scroll depth and engagement

Audience Validation#

Test Your ICP#

Your Ideal Customer Profile is a hypothesis. Test it:

ICP Attribute	Hypothesis	How to Validate
Company size	10-500	Interview across sizes
Role	Engineers	Interview adjacent roles
Pain level	Uses 3+ tools	Survey current tools
Budget	$50-200/mo	Direct pricing questions