App idea validation, question by question
Every guide here answers one question a founder asks in the week before they start building. The answer comes first and in full, including how to run the test by hand with none of our software. Where a number decides something, it is read straight out of the verdict engine that powers the product.
The short version
Validation is one question with a number attached.
At this price, through this channel, what share of the people you can reach will commit? That is the whole discipline. Every method below is a different way of asking it, and they differ mainly in what the commitment costs the person giving it. An email costs nothing. Card details cost trust. The second number predicts revenue; the first predicts a launch-day mailing list.
The bars are the same wherever the traffic comes from. Under 1% of cold visitors reaching for a card means the idea is dead at that price and that angle. Between 1% and 2% is within optimisation reach, so change the offer and retest. At 2% and above you are already matching web2app funnels that ship, before any tuning. Nothing gets a verdict under 30 funnel starts.
- Funnel starts before any verdict
- 30
- Below this, don't build
- 1.0%
- At or above this, build
- 2.0%
- Visitors before a segment counts
- 50
Start here
What validation is, when to do it, and when building is the cheaper test.
- How do I know if my app idea is any good?Five filter questions, the flattering signals to ignore, and an hour of desk research that pays.
- How do I validate an app idea?The whole method: pick a commitment that costs the visitor something, buy cold traffic, count who commits.
- Should I build an MVP or validate first?What each path costs, what each measures, and when building really is the cheaper test.
- How do I test an app idea before building it?A seven-day plan, the four artefacts you need, and which test suits which kind of app.
Ways to run the test
The four shapes a pre-launch test takes, and what each one can prove.
- What is a fake door test and how do I run one?Offer the thing before it exists, count who reaches for it, and stay on the right side of the ethics line.
- How do I build a waitlist before launch?Build it properly, keep it warm, and know what a list of emails is worth at launch.
- How do I run a smoke test with a landing page?The page block by block, four events to track, and how to read every drop-off.
- What is a web2app funnel and what converts?Why apps sell on the web first, the screens in order, and the rate each one holds.
Price and willingness to pay
Finding out whether people will pay, how much, and what the answer costs you.
- What does validating an idea cost?The bill line by line, and what $150, $400 and $1,000 each buy in certainty.
- How do I pick a price before launching?Anchor on the category, pick the plan shape first, and test one price rather than five.
- How do I find out if people will actually pay?Three ways to collect a paying signal before you build, and the CAC maths behind the rate.
Reading the numbers
Benchmarks, sample sizes, and the difference between a result and a rumour.
Traffic and competition
Buying the audience, and what an existing competitor tells you.
Tools and alternatives
What to use, including the tools we compete with.
Run the test instead of reading about it
Describe the idea and get a funnel carrying your price, ad angles with creatives, a tracked link per angle, and a verdict that holds until the 95% range has decided. You bring your own ad account and budget.
One-time licence, 30-day money-back guarantee