Do This Before Validating Your Idea.

Every startup must validate its idea at some point or the other.
Some do it before building anything, some do it with the MVP they build.

Regardless of when you do your validation, there is one thing you must do while validating the idea.

You must make certain 'assumptions' about your idea and its users. What does this mean? How to do it?

First, think of your most ideal customer before using your product. What PROBLEMS do you EXPECT them to have? What kind of location do these people with these problems come from? You can make many more questions like these with certain 'assumptions' you believe will make space for your product.

With my startup (bottlehq.com), we're building a collaboration tool with the assumption that teams and managers can boost collaboration and productivity if they use just one tool to communicate and manage tasks. From that main assumption, we built many smaller assumptions about the ideal customer, and have been trying to validate our assumptions.

Honestly, having a foundation of assumptions helps you understand what you are looking for better.

Without this step, you may end up asking questions blindly and it won't take you on the right path!

If you want a clearer understanding of the process, read 'Talking To Humans' by Giff Constable. It's a small but brilliant read on validating ideas.