Learning velocity wins early

Startup founders need to test and reject ideas quickly to find product-market fit. Speed matters more than polish when you're navigating the idea maze.

Talk to real customers fast

Get feedback from potential users before you build anything. Real conversations reveal whether you're solving a problem people actually care about.

Design sprints beat whiteboard ideas

The GV Design Sprint process, refined since 2017, focuses on getting real customer feedback fast, not endless brainstorming that never ships.

AI helps but doesn't replace humans

Use AI tools to sharpen hypotheses and speed up testing, but always talk directly to the humans who buy or use your product.

“Find and talk to those people.”

Research reveals what doesn't work

User research is most valuable when it shows you've failed. Learning fast that an idea won't work saves runway and lets you pivot with confidence.

Test ideas before building products

Prototypes, landing pages, and value propositions can all be tested with small groups to validate assumptions before engineering effort begins.

Understand your market deeply

Qualitative research helps you learn if a market is too small, too hard to reach, or if customers will actually pay for your solution.

Faster feedback loops compound

Each round of customer feedback lets you make progress or pivot with greater confidence, extending your runway to find something extraordinary.

Series covers the full process

Upcoming posts will cover recruiting research participants, designing interview guides, running sessions, and using tools like FigJam and ChatGPT.