The document discusses MVPs and validation techniques for startups. It recommends conducting interviews with potential customers to understand problems, get feedback on solutions, and test pricing. The interviews should focus on behaviors, not opinions, and the startup should avoid selling. MVP techniques include landing pages, crowdfunding, and manual prototypes to test features at low cost before building technology. Validating the MVP requires getting feedback through real user actions like contracts or appointments, not just vanity metrics like followers.

1. MVPs and prototyping
Wilhelm Lappe

2. ValidationandMVPs
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3. ValidationandMVPs
Interviews

4. ValidationandMVPs interviews
get out of the building
the value of direct contact
feeling, improvise, non verbal communication
interact with humans

5. ValidationandMVPs interviews
interviews vs surveys
qualitative vs quantitative. What/how vs how many
we don’t need a statistical truth
on-line is dangerous

6. ValidationandMVPs what kind of people
You should interview your potential
customers and/or users
Your friend’s opinion doesn’t matter
Your grandma will always love the product

7. ValidationandMVPs finding people to interview
networking: 1st degree Linkedin contacts, your contact list
marketing actions: twitter/facebook followers,
landing page subscribers,…
cold calling: not the best way but…
if you can’t find people to have a coffee, how
do you want to get customers?

8. ValidationandMVPs finding people to interview
when you have 1-5 people it’s easier
ask for new introductions
people know similar people and usually they are
open to do an introduction

9. ValidationandMVPs interviews: tips
many people are not familiar with interviews
explain what you want to do: clarify you’re not
selling anything
try to add some value to them: I’ll tell you the results, I’ll
invite you to be a first user…
maybe you’re asking for a favor: invite to coffee

10. ValidationandMVPs interviews: tips
brief, ask for 20 min. It’s a coffee break
move to the place of the interviewee
maybe visiting your coworking is cool: use it
don’t pay for the interview: it affects the answers
and the profile

11. ValidationandMVPs bad and good questions
What do you like? : cinema, theater….
What did you do yesterday? watched tv and ate
burgers
Ask about behaviors, not about ideas
People lie, at least they idealize themselves

12. ValidationandMVPs don’t be a seller
an interview is subjective by itself: try to avoid it
you’re not selling: get feedback
speak less, listen most of the time
taking notes is ok, writing everything is annoying
people don’t like to be recorded

13. ValidationandMVPs cultural issues
answers are different depending on the country: read
between the lines
Germans give honest feedback: and it hurts
Spaniards always agree with you (despite thinking
you’re crazy)
understand: yes, yes, YES, YES!!!!

14. ValidationandMVPs do it with a scientific method
setup fail/success criteria beforehand
fill the template for every single interview
that’s critical to understand different customer
segment criteria
analyze the data you get, not your feelings

15. ValidationandMVPs it’s not terrible
This is the first time talking with your customers,
or at least with customers in this country
It’s demanding, and breaking the ice is difficult,
more speaking another language
But at the end it’s a very rewarding
experience

16. ValidationandMVPs
Interviews: problem interview

17. ValidationandMVPs problem interview
check the problem
• Talk about the problems: 3 problems – 1 story
• Rank the problem: troubles and pains
• pain level: must, nice, don’t need
• current alternatives
• New problems???

18. ValidationandMVPs problem interview: results
what must you have?
an identified early adopter: demographics
a worthy problem to be solved: must-have
how that’s solved now

19. ValidationandMVPs
Interviews: solution interview

20. ValidationandMVPs solution interview
check the problem and customer
show the solution: what do you have
discover the price: not easy

21. ValidationandMVPs solution interview: steps
demo: this is the key
show a solution for each problem
wait for questions
screenshots: which ones do you like, which ones
to remove
did you miss something?

22. ValidationandMVPs solution interview: steps
price: “is art”
would you like to use for free
tell the price
go top to bottom, something painful but
only a little
summarize : would you like to use the
beta, ask for more contacts?

23. ValidationandMVPs solution interview: results
what must you have?
an identified early adopter: demographics
a worthy problem to be solved: must-have
minimum features to solve it
a price the customer would like to/can pay
a business opportunity

24. ValidationandMVPs
MVPs

25. ValidationandMVPs Main objective: learning
We can do it only with an experiment
• paper prototypes
• non functional prototypes
• mockups
• usability tests focused on one issue

26. ValidationandMVPs MVP: techniques
Landing pages
• they are a “fake” product
• fake the “buy”, “reserve”, “pay”
• use SEM and spend 50€ to attract traffic
• create A/B tests
B2C is better than B2B

27. ValidationandMVPs MVP: techniques
Crowdfunding or pre-sales are great, because
people speak with €€€€€€€€€€€€

28. ValidationandMVPs MVP: techniques
prototype apps with coupons: big leap of faith

29. ValidationandMVPs MVP: techniques
Do something manually before creating the
technology
• e-concierge: people know it’s manual, but you’re
learning
• mechanical Turk: people don’t realize it’s manual,
but it’s difficult to be real-time

30. ValidationandMVPs MVP: techniques
prototyping hardware: functional vs design

31. ValidationandMVPs MVP: techniques

32. ValidationandMVPs MVP: fears
It’s simple but entrepreneurs create their
own barriers:
• it’s crappy
• I’ll damage the brand prestige
• the users can’t tell me what they want

33. ValidationandMVPs MVP: challenges
It’s easier in digital than in real life and in
services than in products
• how to prototype restaurants or shops: pop-up stores,
corners….
• When your value is based on design and quality
• hardware: prototyping vs manufacturing
• B2B: not many chances to fail

34. ValidationandMVPs
Validation facts

35. ValidationandMVPs be sure you’re getting the right feedback
90% of people agree with you, 80% of the people will
pay you
It doesn’t happen in the real world

36. ValidationandMVPs the best one

37. ValidationandMVPs actions show the truth
contracts, pre-contracts
appoitnments for a meeting (for B2B)
real users (if the pay it’s better)

38. ValidationandMVPs vanity metrics
phone
email
followers

39. ValidationandMVPs Show me the money!!!!!

40. ValidationandMVPs
Wilhelm Lappe @wlappe
www.emprelab.com - @emprelab
info@emprelab.com
Wilhelm Lappe
Thanks!