At Concept, you don’t need thousands of surveys or a polished dashboard of metrics — but you do need proof you’ve actually talked to users and that their feedback shaped your direction. Advisors at the gate won’t be impressed by enthusiasm; they’ll look for patterns, quotes, and evidence of demand.
Motion beats polish. Evidence beats adjectives.
Purpose
- Show you’ve listened to real users, not just brainstormed in isolation.
- Capture concrete signals of interest, pain, or demand.
- Demonstrate that feedback has influenced product direction.
- Surface early regulatory or market constraints before launch.
When to Complete
- After defining Concept & Vision.
- Before pitching angels, accelerators, or seed funds.
- Alongside Prototype / Product Development validation.
Proof Sections
Customer Discovery
- Who did you talk to? How many? Which roles or personas?
- What patterns or repeated pain points emerged?
- B2B SaaS: 12 of 17 accountants cited wasted hours reconciling receipts.
- B2C CPG: 7 of 10 testers said packaging was messy to open.
- Services: 8 of 12 homeowners cited scheduling as their top frustration.
Signal of Desirability
- What did users get excited about?
- Did they ask for follow-up, referrals, or early access?
- B2B SaaS: Pilot CFO asked to onboard a second department.
- B2C CPG: 6 out of 10 testers asked to purchase more samples.
- Services: 3 clients offered referrals after their trial experience.
Feedback Loop
- How are you capturing and applying input?
- Shared doc, Airtable board, CRM notes tagged by persona.
- Has feedback changed product direction?
- B2B SaaS: Added CSV export after repeated requests.
- B2C CPG: Reformulated recipe after testers flagged texture issues.
- Services: Introduced online scheduling after early clients resisted phone-only booking.
Regulatory / Market Check
- Did feedback highlight compliance, safety, or legal constraints?
- Flag early — they’ll come up at the gate.
- B2B SaaS: Users flagged GDPR compliance questions.
- B2C CPG: Sample testers asked about allergen disclosure.
- Services: Home-cleaning testers asked about insurance and liability coverage.
Execution Requirements
- 1–2 sentences on Who You Talked To (roles, #, context).
- 2–3 sentences on Patterns / Key Pain Points.
- 1–2 sentences on Signals of Desirability.
- 3–5 bullets on Known Risks / Constraints (market, regulatory, compliance).
Domain Adaptability: Specialized
- B2B SaaS: enterprise vs SMB user pain, data/privacy concerns.
- B2C CPG: taste/packaging tests, willingness-to-pay, FDA/labeling basics.
- Services: willingness to repurchase, referral signals, delivery regulations.
Expected Output
- 1–2 paragraphs (Discovery → Patterns → Signals).
- Optional bullets for risks/constraints.
- Link to notes, interviews, or survey board.
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Optional Enhancements (Pro-Level Execution)
- Record short user quotes or clips (voice of customer).
- Capture an objection log — what turned people off.
- Run a light survey for quant signals (willingness to pay, rank pain points).
- Note known regulatory concerns flagged by users (data, safety, compliance).