by Salman Ansari
FACT 1:
Most startups jump straight to development stage,
without investing enough in planning stages.
FACT 2:
Most startups fail to gain significant customer adoption.
This is NOT a coincidence.
Measure twice, cut once.
What problem should I solve?
Ideas can come from any source, at any time.
The key is to look for them constantly, learn to compare and measure them effectively, and to act quickly.
Is there a market for this problem?
In order to evaluate the viability of your business idea,
you need to do some competitive analysis,
and establish a business model that you can pursue.
Try and understand the reasons for success/failure outcomes for
as many products/businesses as you can.
It's worth your time.
P.S. That's what an MBA is (thousands of case studies).
Who is affected by this problem, and how?
User research is an exhausting process,
but it is a critical step.
Keep talking to users, keep following the data, and eventually it will lead you to a solution.
User research will normally lead you much closer to a solution, but unfortunately we don't have time for that in this workshop.
So, for now just do your best to let your intuition (and everything you've learned this session) to lead you to the simplest and most effective solution.
Key: What is the simplest way to solve your problem?
Testing your solution through prototyping.
What is the minimum needed to satisfy user needs?
The key to a great MVP is focus.
5 STEPS TO BUILD AN IDEA
A thing is a thing,
not what is said of the thing.
-Susan Sontag
slides | bit.ly/idea-workshop
twitter | @daretorant
web | salman.io
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