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You’re Asking Your Mom If She Likes Your Idea. Stop It.

concept testing questions that help you validate ideas fast. Learn 6 practical prompts to avoid risky bets and sharpen your product concept.

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Your mom loves you. She thinks your SaaS for artisanal dog food delivery is "a wonderful idea, honey." Her opinion is going to get you killed. Most startup post-mortems are eulogies for a product someone fell in love with before they knew if anyone else gave a damn. They built in a vacuum, high on their own supply of coffee and confirmation bias. Then they launched to the sound of crickets.

Concept testing isn't about collecting compliments. It’s the unsexy, brutal work of poking holes in your brilliant plan before the market does it for you—mercilessly and on your dime. It’s your defense against building expensive garbage. If you’re allergic to hard truths, close this tab. Go update your LinkedIn. This is going to sting.

The questions below aren't theory; this is scar tissue. They separate viable businesses from costly hobbies. And if you think you can walk into a VC's office without this data, you're delusional. Proving your idea isn't a fantasy is table stakes for essential strategies for navigating company startup funding.

1. The Only Question That Matters: Will They Pay?

Stop asking people if they like your idea. Liking doesn't pay salaries or keep the servers on. The only signal that matters is a commitment to open their wallet. This question cuts through the polite bullshit and gets to the heart of commercial viability.

The Question: "Based on what you've seen, which of these statements best describes your likelihood to purchase this product if it were available today?"

  • I would definitely not buy it.
  • I would probably not buy it.
  • I might or might not buy it.
  • I would probably buy it.
  • I would definitely buy it.

The Brutal Analysis:
Anyone who answers 1, 2, or 3 is a "No." A 4, "Probably buy," is just a polite "No." They’re trying not to hurt your feelings. Only the 5s, the "Definitely buy" crowd, matter. The rest is noise. If less than 40% of your target audience picks "Definitely buy," your idea is dead on arrival.

The Takeaway: If they won't commit to buying it when it's just an idea, they sure as hell won't when it's real and has flaws.

2. The “Does This Make Sense?” Test: Brand Fit

A brilliant idea attached to the wrong brand is a brilliant way to go bankrupt. Ignoring this is how you end up with Harley-Davidson perfume and Colgate frozen dinners. Don't be a case study in what not to do. If your new concept feels random, customers won't just reject the product; they'll question your entire brand.

The Question: "Thinking about [Your Brand Name], how well does this new product concept fit with what you expect from us?"

  • Does not fit at all.
  • Does not fit very well.
  • Fits somewhat.
  • Fits very well.
  • Fits perfectly.

The Brutal Analysis:
Responses 1, 2, and 3 are flashing red lights. A "somewhat" fit is a customer politely saying, "I don't get it." If your loyal customers can't see the connection, you're not extending the brand; you're breaking its promise.

The Takeaway: A product that doesn’t feel like it comes from you is an orphan; customers won't trust it.

3. The Uncomfortable Money Talk: Perceived Value

If the first question tells you if they'll buy, this tells you for how much. This is where your great idea meets the unforgiving road of their budget. Mess this up, and you either build something nobody can afford or leave a mountain of cash on the table. Both are fireable offenses.

The Questions (Van Westendorp Method):
Don't ask "Would you pay $50?" It's a loaded question. Ask these four instead:

  1. At what price is this so expensive you wouldn't even consider it?
  2. At what price is this so cheap you'd question the quality?
  3. At what price is this a bargain—a great buy for the money?
  4. At what price is this getting expensive, but you'd still consider it?

The Brutal Analysis:
Plot the answers. The intersections of the lines give you your optimal price point and acceptable range. If the price they consider a "bargain" is less than your cost to deliver, you don't have a business.

The Takeaway: Stop pulling prices out of thin air; your customers already know what your product is worth, so just ask them.

4. The "Why You?" Question: Uniqueness

Your idea doesn't exist in a vacuum. It exists in a brutal marketplace where customers already have solutions, even if those solutions suck. If your concept doesn't immediately scream "different and better," it's already dead.

The Question: "Thinking about other [product category] you've seen, how would you describe this concept?"

  • It is exactly the same.
  • It is very similar.
  • It is slightly different.
  • It is very different.
  • It is completely new and different.

The Brutal Analysis:
If the majority pick 1, 2, or 3, you're a "me-too" product destined for a price war you can't win. "Slightly different" is the graveyard of startups; it's not enough to break a customer's habit. You need to be a 4 or a 5 to command attention.

The Takeaway: If your customers can’t instantly see how you’re different, they’ll default to the competitor they already know.

5. The "Kill Your Darlings" Question: Feature Prioritization

You think you know what features customers want. You're wrong. Founders build a Swiss Army knife when customers just need a bottle opener. Building the wrong features is a death sentence.

The Method (MaxDiff):
Don't ask people to rank a long list. Force them to make trade-offs. Show them small sets of features and ask: "From this list, which is MOST important to you, and which is LEAST important?" Repeat with different combinations.

Example Set:

  • Longest Battery Life
  • Best Camera
  • Most Durable Glass
  • Lowest Price

The Brutal Analysis:
The algorithm calculates a precise utility score for each feature. If a feature consistently ranks as "least important," it's a distraction. Kill it before it kills your roadmap and drains your runway.

The Takeaway: Stop asking what customers want; start asking what they're willing to sacrifice.

6. The Gut Check: Emotional Response

Logic justifies a purchase, but emotion pulls the trigger. If your concept doesn't make someone feel something—smarter, safer, more powerful—you're just another commodity. Features are easy to copy. A genuine emotional connection is a fortress.

The Question: "Which of the following words best describes how this concept makes you feel? (Select up to three)"

  • Excited
  • Intrigued
  • Confident
  • Skeptical
  • Confused
  • Indifferent

The Brutal Analysis:
You want a huge spike in the "Excited" and "Intrigued" cluster. "Indifferent" is a death sentence. It’s worse than "Skeptical," which at least means they’re paying attention. If your concept primarily elicits indifference, you haven't just failed to sell the product; you've failed to even make it interesting.

The Takeaway: If you can't make them feel something, you won't make them buy anything.

7. The "Aspirin or Vitamin?" Question

Stop building solutions to problems nobody has. This question validates the wound before you start selling bandages. If the problem isn't real, frequent, and painful, your "solution" is just a hobby.

The Two-Part Question:
Part 1: "How significant is [the problem] for you?"

  • Not a problem at all.
  • A minor inconvenience.
  • A moderate problem.
  • A significant problem.
  • A critical, top-3 problem.

Part 2: "How well does this concept solve that problem?"

  • Doesn't solve it at all.
  • Slightly helps.
  • Moderately solves it.
  • It's a good solution.
  • It's the perfect solution.

The Brutal Analysis:
Forget anyone who doesn't rate the problem a 4 or 5. You're hunting for hair-on-fire pain. Vitamins are nice-to-haves people forget when budgets get tight. Aspirin solves a throbbing headache. You need to be an aspirin. If you aren't seen as a "perfect solution" for a "critical problem," go back to the drawing board. Understanding understanding the problems your product solves is non-negotiable.

The Takeaway: Don't ask if they like your solution. First, ask them how badly they're bleeding.

8. The Growth Engine Question: Will They Talk About It?

Purchase intent tells you if you can make the first sale. This question tells you if you'll ever make the second, third, or hundredth without paying for every click. People don’t recommend mediocre products. They recommend things that make them look smart.

The Question (NPS):
"On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this to a friend or colleague?"

The Brutal Analysis:
Your Net Promoter Score (NPS) is (% of 9s and 10s) - (% of 0-6s). The 7s and 8s are ignored—they're dangerously indifferent. A positive score is the bare minimum. A concept NPS of 30+ is a good signal; 50+ is exceptional. Anything less means you have a leaky bucket, not a growth engine. To see this in action, check out how to measure customer loyalty.

The Takeaway: A purchase is a transaction; a recommendation is an endorsement. If your concept doesn't inspire people to talk, prepare to pay for every single customer you ever get.

Look, the startup graveyard is full of founders who confused their own excitement with market demand. These questions are scalpels for dissecting your own assumptions before the market does it for you—brutally and without mercy. The difference between a product that scales and one that stalls is the unglamorous work of asking hard questions and having the humility to listen, especially when the answers sting.

Your ego is not your customer. The goal is to kill bad ideas mercilessly in the concept phase so your great ideas have the resources they need to win. Stop guessing. Stop hoping. Start asking.

Stop drowning in survey data and let Backsy.ai find the mission-critical insights from your concept tests so you can build what customers will actually buy.