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42% of startups fail due to no market need
According to a CB Insights report, tackling problems that are interesting to solve rather than those that serve a market need is the main factor for failure.
But how do we avoid that?
Problem validation 
#buildinpublic
According to a CB Insights report, tackling problems that are interesting to solve rather than those that serve a market need is the main factor for failure.
But how do we avoid that?
Problem validation #buildinpublic
Based on IDEO Design Thinking circles diagram, there are three core pillars to innovation:
Desirability (people): Do people want this product or service?
Feasibility (technology): Is it technically feasible?
Viability (business): Can we build a sustainable business?
Desirability (people): Do people want this product or service? Feasibility (technology): Is it technically feasible? Viability (business): Can we build a sustainable business?
This approach brings together what is desirable from a human point of view with what is technologically feasible and economically viable.
And as shown in the previous image, we should start the validation process with the desirability phase.
And as shown in the previous image, we should start the validation process with the desirability phase.
We need to clearly understand the problem we’re trying to solve for someone and figure out whether this is a real one that actually needs to be solved.
Otherwise we’re going to go off and implement something that nobody wants.
Otherwise we’re going to go off and implement something that nobody wants.
For that, we should start with questions to help us understand:
What is the real problem?
When, where and why does it happen?
Who is affected by it? What are their characteristics?
How big is it? How many people encounter it?
How does it rank with other problems?
What is the real problem? When, where and why does it happen? Who is affected by it? What are their characteristics? How big is it? How many people encounter it? How does it rank with other problems?
However, we should also be open to evidence that contradicts our hypothesis.
We need to look for other information and don’t stay biased towards a specific outcome we hoped to be true. This can be hard but we shouldn’t ignore facts or intentionally select only some of them.
We need to look for other information and don’t stay biased towards a specific outcome we hoped to be true. This can be hard but we shouldn’t ignore facts or intentionally select only some of them.
It’s also important to be aware of existing solutions for this problem:
How are people currently solving it?
Are there other products tackling it?
What is good and bad about them? Is there room for improvement?
What are the obstacles for people to adopt a new solution?
How are people currently solving it?Are there other products tackling it?What is good and bad about them? Is there room for improvement?What are the obstacles for people to adopt a new solution?
Rarely, there aren’t any existing solutions to be found. If this is the case, investigate how people are trying to solve the problem.
It’s also valuable to know if they’re not trying. If so, try to figure out why this happens.
It’s also valuable to know if they’re not trying. If so, try to figure out why this happens.
Is it because they don’t care? Because they don’t know what to do? Because they've never thought about finding a solution? Is there another reason for that?Answers to these questions also help us learn whether this is a big pain for them, if it's really a problem.
Doing the problem validation before actually going deep into developing our idea is crucial for us to know whether what we’re building is not actually unnecessary.
Without it, we have no proof that our idea would actually solve a problem and would be something people would want.
Without it, we have no proof that our idea would actually solve a problem and would be something people would want.
That's it! I hope this thread helped showing the importance of the problem validation and giving ideas for what questions should be answered in this process.
I’d like to thank @thisdickie and @HatHabbits for the contents on their websites which helped me study and create this
I’d like to thank @thisdickie and @HatHabbits for the contents on their websites which helped me study and create this
