Question 1

What is demand validation?

Accepted Answer

The process of gathering real evidence that a market wants your product before you fully build it, testing actual customer behavior rather than stated intentions.

Question 2

Why does demand validation matter?

Accepted Answer

Because building something nobody wanted is the most common reason products fail, and validation catches that fatal problem cheaply, before the expensive work begins.

Question 3

What is the difference between stated and revealed demand?

Accepted Answer

Stated demand is what people say in surveys and interviews. Revealed demand is what they do through actions that carry a cost, like signing up, pre-ordering, or paying.

Question 4

Why is "would you buy this?" a bad question?

Accepted Answer

Because it asks about hypothetical future behavior, which people answer with polite, optimistic yeses that rarely translate into real purchases. It produces false positives.

Question 5

What are common demand validation methods?

Accepted Answer

Landing page tests, fake door tests, pre-orders and crowdfunding, waitlists, concierge and Wizard of Oz approaches, smoke tests with ads, and pre-sales to real customers.

Question 6

What is a fake door test?

Accepted Answer

Adding a button or entry point for a feature that does not exist yet and measuring how many people click it, which reveals real interest before you build anything.

Question 7

How is demand validation different from market research?

Accepted Answer

Market research asks whether a market exists and how big it is. Demand validation goes further, testing whether real people will take a real action for your specific product.

Question 8

Why shouldn’t you validate demand with friends and family?

Accepted Answer

Because people who care about you will encourage you regardless. Their warmth is not evidence of genuine market demand.

Question 9

What makes a demand signal trustworthy?

Accepted Answer

That it required the customer to take a real action with some cost attached, like time, effort, an email, or money, rather than simply expressing an opinion.

Question 10

Can a large market still lack demand for your product?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A large, well-understood market does not guarantee anyone wants your specific offering, which is exactly why demand validation is needed beyond market research.

What Is Demand Validation and Why Does It Matter?

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Q1: What is demand validation?

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