Is Your Idea Worth Further Investing In?

Every product person has experienced the pull of a compelling idea. The market opportunity seems clear, the solution feels obvious, and the team is excited to build. But excitement is a poor substitute for evidence, and the history of product development is littered with ideas that felt right but were wrong. The challenge is not generating ideas; it is knowing which ones deserve investment.

At PR_D_CT DAY 2023, Jonas Van Poucke, a product coach at Product Microbe, presented a practical framework for idea validation that goes beyond the usual advice of talking to customers. His framework addresses the full validation lifecycle: from initial concept through market sizing, problem validation, solution testing, and commercial viability assessment.

For the founders and product leaders in the audience, many of whom were navigating early-stage product decisions at Belgian start-ups, Jonas's framework provided a structured alternative to gut-feel decision-making.