Testing an Idea Cheaply

Find out whether people want the idea before spending money.

In this lesson you will

Interview potential customers without leading them
Run a simple demand test

Key concepts

customer interviewsleading questionspre-ordersevidence

The lesson

Ask about people's past behaviour, not opinions: 'How did you last solve this? What did it cost?' rather than 'Would you buy my product?' — people say yes to be polite.

Run a cheap test: take pre-orders, sell a small batch or post an offer on WhatsApp and count real responses.

Decide in advance what result would mean 'go', 'change' or 'stop'.

Step by step

Write five non-leading questions.
Interview ten people.
Run one demand test.
Decide go, change or stop.

Troubleshooting tree

Go, change or stop? Reading an idea test

Deciding what to do after customer interviews and a small demand test.

Did most people you interviewed describe the problem as real and frequent, and say how they currently solve it?

Yes
Did people act — pre-order, pay a deposit or buy the test batch — not just say they liked it?
- Yes
  Go: start small, keep records and keep learning from customers.
- No
  Change: the problem is real but the offer is not right yet. Adjust price, product or channel and test again.
No
Stop or change the idea: the problem is not painful enough. Return to your problem list.

Notes

Decide your 'go' threshold before testing — for example, 10 pre-orders from 50 people contacted — so the result cannot be explained away.

Practice activity

Test your chosen idea with interviews and one demand test.

Expected result: Evidence-based decision on whether to continue.

Check your understanding

Why ask about past behaviour?

Show answer
People's opinions about future purchases are unreliable.
Give an example of a cheap demand test.

Show answer
Taking pre-orders or selling a small batch.

Taught live by an instructor — online or in person. Free course lessons are for self-study and do not lead to a certificate — see registration options.