The idea validation checklist

How to use it

Go through each check and mark it only if you have evidence — a source, a quote, a transaction. Count your marks. Under 12 means the idea is still a hypothesis. Between 12 and 19 means you have a promising idea with named gaps. Twenty or more means it is time to build the smallest version and sell it.

Problem

• I can name a specific person who has this problem, not a category.
• I have found at least ten people describing this pain in their own words.
• The problem happens often enough that people remember the last time.
• I can estimate what the problem costs them in money, time, or risk.
• People already spend something — money, tools, or manual work — trying to fix it.

Market

• I can count the buyers, not just describe them.
• Every number in my market size has a source I could show someone.
• Top-down and bottom-up estimates land within the same order of magnitude.
• Search demand for the problem is flat or rising, not collapsing.
• The market is reachable: I know where these buyers already gather.

Competition

• I have listed at least five existing ways people solve this today.
• One of those alternatives is 'do nothing' or a spreadsheet, and I took it seriously.
• I know what the leading competitors charge.
• I can state in one sentence why a buyer would switch to me.
• That reason is not simply 'cheaper' or 'better design'.

Willingness to pay

• I have named a price out loud to a potential buyer.
• At least a few people asked how to pay before the product existed.
• The price covers my delivery costs with room left over.
• I know who signs off on the purchase, not just who uses it.
• The buying decision does not need a year-long procurement cycle.

Risk and fit

• No single supplier, platform, or policy can shut this down overnight.
• Legal, licensing, and privacy requirements are known, not assumed away.
• I can build a usable first version in weeks, not years.
• I have an unfair advantage: skill, access, distribution, or data.
• I would still want to work on this in two years if growth was slow.

What to do with the gaps

Every unmarked box is a research task. Market and competition gaps are answered with desk research; pricing gaps are answered only by talking to buyers. Work through them in that order — the cheap evidence first.

If you would rather not do the desk research by hand, Marketproof runs it for you: sourced market numbers, competitor pricing, demand signals, and a scorecard against these same dimensions. Run a free evaluation or read the full market validation guide.