pmf-validation

PMF Validation

Frameworks for achieving and measuring product-market fit.

Related Skills

• pm-assumption-mapping - Prioritizing assumptions by risk
• pm-customer-interviews - Discovery interview techniques
• pm-jobs-to-be-done - Understanding customer motivations

Assumption Risk Framework

High Risk (Validate First)

Medium Risk (Validate During MVP)

Low Risk (Validate Post-Launch)

• Scale assumptions
• Expansion opportunities
• Adjacent markets

MVP Strategy

Definition Criteria

Feature Prioritization

Validation Methodology

Customer Discovery Script

Opening (2 min)

• Build rapport
• Explain purpose: learning, not selling

Problem Exploration (10 min)

• "Tell me about the last time you dealt with [problem]..."
• "What did you try? What worked/didn't work?"
• "On a scale of 1-10, how painful is this?"

Solution Testing (5 min)

• "If you could wave a magic wand, what would happen?"
• "I'm working on something that [brief description]..."
• "Would this help? Why or why not?"

Commitment Testing (3 min)

• "Would you be interested in trying an early version?"
• "What would you expect to pay for something like this?"
• "Can I follow up when we have something to show?"

Signal Interpretation

Decision Framework

Green Light (Proceed)

• 70%+ confirm problem exists
• 3+ paying commitments
• Clear differentiation
• Unit economics work

Yellow Light (Iterate)

• Mixed feedback on value prop
• Price resistance but interest
• Unclear positioning
• Channel uncertainty

Red Light (Pivot)

• <30% problem confirmation
• No willingness to pay
• Existing solutions "good enough"
• No user enthusiasm

PMF Indicators