Product Validation Checklist
A system for validating your market and your product
(Or, get a sample)
“The scariest thing about building something new is wondering if people will want it.”
I’ve been working with software companies for 10+ years. Whenever it’s time to build a new product, people ask the same questions:
- Which target market should we focus on initially?
- What are the big struggles they’re wrestling with?
- How can we help them overcome those obstacles?
- How are we going to compete with so many other apps in our space?
- How do we know if we’re on the right path with product/market fit?
Everyone wants to know the same thing:
How do I validate my product idea?
Nobody wants to work on an app for months (or years!) only to launch it and discover it’s not wanted.
How the Product Validation Checklist works
I started advising startups, like Podia, in 2012. Over these years, I’ve developed a system for listening to a market and building things they want. Initially, it was just a list of steps in a document that I would go through with a client. But now, I’m working on a new SaaS called Transistor.fm, and I wanted a formal system for tracking our progress.
So I built an interactive checklist. It looks like this:
It’s designed to help you:
- Rationally evaluate your ideas (and eject early if you need to)
- Reduce your fear of failure.
- Ensure you don’t waste time and energy working on the wrong thing.
- Stay accountable for talking to your users!
At each step, you’ll be asked to do research, and record your findings:
Currently, 122 people are using the checklist to track their progress.
★★★★★ “The worksheet format helped me make sure I’m not just jumping into an exciting idea but that I have clear motivation and perspective. Every product maker needs to follow steps like these. Easily worth the price.” – Jarrod Drysdale, StudioFellow.com
Who is the Product Validation Checklist for?
Anyone can use the checklist to validate their idea, but it’s working best for these folks:
- Freelancers and consultants who are looking to make the jump to product.
- Teams with an existing product or service, and are looking to build something new.
- Experienced software developers who are skilled at building apps, have a big list of ideas, and want to validate the right one.
Still unsure? Sign up here to get a sample.
Join the 122 other people already using the checklist!
When you buy, you’ll get lifetime access to:
- 50 interactive product validation steps
- Resources and tools for each step.
- Track, and save, your progress online.
- Your answers sent to you as PDFs (so you can save them locally).
- Bonus: 30-second validation checklist
- Bonus videos: here’s a sample.
The regular price is $129.
Until June 30th, 2018, you can get $49 off when you use the code birthdaysale.
Hi, I’m Justin Jackson, @mijustin on Twitter.
I’m the former Product Manager at Sprintly and Mailout.com. I’ve also consulted on marketing & growth for startups in London, San Francisco, Boulder, and Portland.
I created Marketing for Developers, in October 2015. Since then, it’s been purchased over 2,500 times.
You might have heard my podcasts: MegaMaker, and Product People. I’ve also been featured in:
Want to see a sample of the worksheets? Sign up here:
Product Validation Checklist
Get sample worksheet PDFs from the checklist!