Great... great ?! However good this idea might be, some might have some problem to strike up a conversion with a random stranger.
How would you (have you) overcome this ? What pushed you to do it ? Do you have any idea of a startup-idea-test that does not involve coding ?
Any advice welcome.
One approach I've seen used to counteract that issue is the old "landing page without a product", where you use targeted ads to put your landing page in front of people who might be interested.
There's a second gotcha, common to both approaches: there's a significant leap between "gets excited about the product / signs up for the mailing list" and "actually pays for the thing".
https://www.conversionaid.com/podcast/patrick-mckenzie-kalzu...
If you can't talk to people but you want to start a business you've got 3 options;
1. Work with someone with less spaghetti in their pockets 2. Work out a way of removing to spaghetti from your pockets 3. Don't start a business
Now, I take a different approach. I talk to my friend's friend's friends until I find the right customers to talk to. I contact my friends and ask who they know and then I ask who they know and so on. Its pretty easy once you get going. And a warm intro is an easy way to get the time you need.
Other resources are LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Quora, etc. Find someone on there that has an interest in the idea you are working on. After you have a short interview ask who they know. Once you get the referrals flowing its very easy to find enough people to talk to.
A great read on this topic is Talking to Humans. A couple of takeaways: 1. Approach talking to others as a way to question your assumptions. 2. Ask for stories. People do a better job telling a specific story about their life, rather than answering hypothetical questions. 3. Look for clues, workarounds, passions, and pains.
- https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Humans-Success-understanding-...
Is that best in a quantifiable sense, or best as in "the one I like most"?
I can't imagine that's true. In a couple of hours I reckon you could talk to maybe 20 people in a busy Starbucks. Spending a couple of hours writing a great Show HN or Producthunt post could get you more feedback from a wider audience without costing you $20.
It helps you discuss with your potential users and helps you refine your ideas. It's one aspect people critically need at the beginning.
Strangers in a coffee shop aren't "potential users", even if they think they are (nor are HN readers for that matter). Any randomly selected group is effectively useless for gathering data - there's too much noise and not enough signal.
If you want good feedback you need to approach people you know are actual potential customers. You can't rely on luck. Go to places where they gather - user groups, meet ups, websites, etc.
If you want to know if there's demand for your startup, you could simply build a website and pitch it to people, however, you won't truly know if there's demand until you build something that provides value and ask people for money. (Just like DoorDash & Flexport did) Even then you'll face distribution problems but that's another story :)
Sometimes people will give you positive feedback and blow smoke up your ass saying it's a great idea, but the real test is if you asked them for $XX right now for the thing, would they give you the money?
Sorry to be negative, but spending more money on a scientific survey would give you believable data to work with. This sounds like a waste of both time and money.
