venture · validation

Idea triage

innovation toolkit — field instrument

Which assumptions could kill your idea, what to test first, and how to ask customers without fooling yourself.

triaging
Reading your idea
01

The blunt read

02

Assumptions that could kill this

03

Test ladder, cheapest first

Run these in order. The kill threshold is set now, before you test – if you wait until after, you'll move the goalposts.

04

Customer interview guide

Ask about their life and past behaviour. Never pitch, never ask hypotheticals.

do not ask these

interview rules

    05

    Pivot or plough on

    signals to pivot or kill

      signals to keep going

        06

        Think differently

        Not fixes, and not advice – questions worth sitting with. If one of them stings or excites you, that's the one to explore.

        07

        This week