This document provides guidance on validating business assumptions and ideas with customers. It emphasizes that the most important thing is creating value for customers and making something people want to buy. To do this, one must test assumptions, be prepared to be wrong, and consider the customer's perspective through methods like ethnography, interviews, and surveys. Ethnography involves observing customers in natural settings without interfering to interpret their behaviors and needs. Interviews require listening more than talking and asking open questions. Validating assumptions with customers is key to avoiding expensive failures and better understanding what problems customers need solved.

1. CUSTOMER
VALIDATION
JANA KUKK

2. MAKE SOMETHING PEOPLE WANT. THAT’S
THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM. IF YOU DIE,
IT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T
MAKE SOMETHING PEOPLE WANTED.
Paul Graham, Investor, Co-Founder of Y-Combinator

3. Male
Born in 1948 in the UK
Married
Very successful
Wealthy
Loves dogs
Favorite place for a holiday – the Alps
WHAT WOULD YOUR CUSTOMER WANT?

5. TEST EVERY ASSUMPTION
BE PREPARED TO BE WRONG

6. CREATE VALUE
FOR THE CUSTOMER

7. LAUNCHING THE PRODUCT IS
THE MOST EXPENSIVE
CUSTOMER RESEARCH YOU CAN DO

8. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T VALIDATE?
AMAZON 5B$ FAILURES

9. CREATE VALUE
FOR THE CUSTOMER

10. HOW COULD I
MAKE THE
MILKSHAKE
BETTER?
so that you’d buy
more of them

11. BUT WHY DO YOU
ACTUALLY NEED A
MILKSHAKE?

12. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE

13. LIFETIME USAGE: 12

18. HOW TO LOOK FOR THE
RIGHT THING?

19. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
FUNCTIONAL EMOTIONAL
SOCIALPERSONAL

20. WHY WE BUY?

21. EMOTIONAL
JOBS-TO-BE-DONE

22. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
FUNCTIONAL EMOTIONAL
SOCIALPERSONAL

23. vs

24. VALIDATING ASSUPMTIONS
TOOLBOX
ETHNOGRAPHY INTERVIEWSURVEY

25. VALIDATING ASSUPMTIONS
ETHNOGRAPHY
NO INTERFERENCE
IT’S ALL ABOUT INTERPRETATION
TO RECORD THE BEHAVIOR
AND CUSTOMS
VARIATIONS: MOBILE
ETHNOGRAPHY, NETNOGRAPHY

26. IF YOU WANT TO
UNDERSTAND HOW A
LION HUNTS DON’T
GO TO THE ZOO.
GO TO THE JUNGLE.
JIM STENGEL CMO OF P&G

27. ETHNOGRAPHY
ORALB
ASSUMPTION: KIDS ARE JUST
SMALLER HUMANS
CUSTOMER OBSERVATION
RESULT: MARKET LEADERSHIP
FOR 18 MONTHS

28. ETHNOGRAPHY
MAYO CLINIC
ASSUMPTION: DOCTORS MOSTLY
EXAMINE PATIENTS
OBSERVATION: 10-15%
EXAMINATION; 85-90%
CONVERSATION
RESULT: JACK & JILL ROOMS

29. ETHNOGRAPHY
IKEA
ASSUMPTION: FURNITURE
SHOPPING IS STRESS
OBSERVATION: PEOPLE GET
ANNOYED ABOUT HALF-WAY
THROUGH THE STORE, AROUND
LUNCH TIME
RESULT: IKEA RESTAURANT

30. Choose
natural
setting. Don’t
interfere.
Record what
you see.
Even if it
seems
insignificant.
Formulate
your
questions to
clarify
observations.
Interpret he
results into
your context.
ETHNOGRAPHY TIPS

31. SOMETIMES
YOU STILL
NEED TO TALK
TO PEOPLE

32. ADOPT
BEGINNERS MIND
INTERVIEW TIPS
2
3
6
71
5
4
LISTEN MORE
THAN YOU TALK
LOOK FOR FACTS
NOT OPINIONS
ASK QUESTIONS THAT
MAKE PEOPLE TALK
SKIP THE SELLING/
CONVINCING
LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN:
REFERRALS
IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!

33. Ask open questions.
“Why” can be perceived as
hostile. Think of alternative
wording.
Use mirroring to make them
tell you more.
HOW TO MAKE
THEM TELL YOU
EVERYTHING?

34. HOW TO DESIGN YOUR SURVEY
1. Question wording and design.
2. Avoid causing survey fatigue.
3. Watch your language.
4. Check the order of the questions.
5. Ask only what is really necessary.

35. NEXT STEPS

36. SET YOUR MINDSET RIGHT
EXPLORATION VS LOOKING FOR
EVIDENCE TO CONFIRM YOUR ASSUMPTIONS

37. BE READY: PEOPLE WILL NOT
WANT TO TALK TO YOU

38. TOMORROW’S FIELDWORK
1. PLAN YOUR OBSERVATIONS
Where would you find your customer persona(-s)?
How could you observe customers facing/solving the problem?
2. OBSERVE & RECORD
Record what, when & how do your potential customers’ behaviour. Every little detail may end
up as your product-market fit.
3. ANALYSE & DEFINE THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
What customer behavior patterns that you have observed need clarification? How could you
ask the questions to make people elaborate on their actions?
4. CONDUCT THE INTERVIEWS

39. THANK
YOU