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Test Demand before Building: Learn through a Small Pilot

Summary

Learn to test demand before building by researching actual tasks, offering a deliverable pilot, and examining completion and reasons for continued use.

Published

Understand the User’s Work before Running a Small Pilot

Before building, investigate the work people struggle with and how they currently respond. Use actual experiences to define a pilot.

Selling first alone does not establish product demand. Specify a small deliverable and what the trial should teach you.

Ask about Recent Experiences

Ask about recent steps, time spent, and difficulties. GOV.UK distinguishes user problems from proposed solutions. (GOV.UK: User needs)

Investigate the task to accomplish alongside feature requests.

Recruit a Pilot You Can Deliver

Choose something deliverable, such as one week of manual support. State scope, period, price, and pilot status.

Describe the work delivered without presenting unbuilt features as available.

Use Trial Results to Decide What to Build

Record signups separately from completed tasks. Ask completers where the service helped and why they would use it again.

Compare delivery effort with the parts users needed to decide what to develop.

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Frequently asked questions

Q: Must I sell before building?

A: Investigate the task first and choose a deliverable trial.

Q: Do feature requests establish demand?

A: Examine actual experiences and trial outcomes too.

Q: How should an unfinished offer be described?

A: State pilot status and actual deliverables.

Q: What should be recorded afterward?

A: Signups, completion, reasons to continue, and delivery effort.

Sources

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