We have an idea to do a Social "Stress" app, where people can sign up as strangers and meet someone in their same "stressed" mode, like I was fired by my boss today and I find someone who did as well, and we are both Chatting about it. It'll also bring up some comedy for both of us and will be a "social stress reliever". Now obviously the idea is very 'wild', how do I "Test the waters" to see if this could be of an interest to users?
Here's what I always advise the start-ups that I mentor. Define your system on paper and run it manually in the real world with people that experience the problem you're hoping to solve.
To clarify what that would mean in your case, or how I would run it, would be the following way.
Either in my own offline or online social network (really doesn't matter which network you tap into) I would ask if anyone was fired today, or has recently had a major social stress situation. I'd then ask them to inbox me to say I have a "solution" for them. I would then wait for 2 people to contact me and then pair them up and run the "situation" in the way I had intended.
If you find that this whole thing falls flat on its face, you then have a good idea of how hard it will be to get people to "buy in" to your idea. If you find people approach you, then you know there is some merit.
Ultimately, it all comes down to doing all the "thinking" upfront and then applying it in the real world in a manual fashion. That's your validation.
Feel free to call me if you want me to talk you through it in an exact step by step fashion.
Answered 10 years ago
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