Assignment

Build Solution Demo and Conduct Solution Interviews

1. CONTEXT

In this assignment, you will build the solution demo that you discussed and planned in the previous
activity.

You will:
1. Build solution mockups using the actual technology framework for a demo to your prospects. For
example, if you are developing a website, create your mockup as a website instead of creating a
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Photoshop image of the website.

2. Run the interview scripts/questionnaire.
3. Receive feedback from prospects.

The objectives of this assignment are:

• Build solution mockups using the actual technology framework.
• Help your interview prospects visualize your solution.
• Analyze the feedback that you receive from your prospects.
• Label every element on your mock-up as “must-have,” ”nice-to-have,” or “don’t need.”

2. INSTRUCTIONS

For this assignment, you need to:

1. Regroup in your teams.
2. The exact duration of this assignment will be 3 hours. You have:
a. 2 hours to create or build the solution mockups.
b. 1 hour to conduct interviews.
3. Build the mockups using the actual technology framework so that you can present it to your
prospects.
4. Set up interviews with 10 of your prospects.
5. Conduct the interview and present your solution demo to help the prospects visualize your
solution.
6. Ask your facilitator how and when to submit your assignment.

After completing this assignment:

1. Compile the solution interview results.
2. Find out if you have achieved a problem-solution fit.
3. Pivot, or re-invent your solution, if you have not achieved problem-solution fit.

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 Assignment
Build Solution Demo and Conduct Solution Interviews

3. TIPS TO CONDUCT SOLUTION INTERVIEWS

When conducting solution interviews, keep the following tips in mind:

1. Use old prospects.
Follow-up with your old prospects only if you have taken their permission to do so during earlier
Problem Interviews. If the prospect matches your early adopter demographic, arrange a follow-up
Solution Interview with them.
2. Mix in some new prospects.
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It is a good idea to mix-in new prospects with every batch of interviews so that you can test all the
hypotheses with a “beginner’s mind.” Your earlier interviews should have yielded some referrals
that you can use. This is also the time to start testing any other channel/s that you identified in
your last iteration.

Next, run a solution interview using the structure shown below:

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 Assignment
Build Solution Demo and Conduct Solution Interviews

Note: The steps for the solution interview are explained using the example of CloudFire, created by Ash
Maurya. Read the example script in each step to understand how to go about creating an interview script
for your solution.

1. Welcome (Set the Stage)

“Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us today.

We are currently working on a photo and video sharing service designed for parents. I got the idea
after becoming a parent and experiencing some frustrations firsthand with existing solutions.
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I will start by describing the main problems we are tackling, and then I will ask whether any of
those resonate with you. I also would like to show you an early demo of the application.

I want to stress that we do not have a finished product yet, and our objective is to learn from you,
not to sell or pitch anything to you. Does that sound good?”

2. Collect Demographics (Test Customer Segment)

Ask some introductory questions to collect basic demographics that you believe will drive how you
segment and qualify your early adopters. If you have already interviewed this prospect, you can
skip this section unless there are additional questions you have uncovered since you last
interviewed him.

“Before we go on to the problems, I would like to learn a little about you:

• How many kids do you have?
• How old are they?
• Do you share photos online?
• Do you share videos online?
• How often?
• With whom?”

3. Illustrate the top three problems with a story

“Great, thanks. So, let me tell you about the problems we are tackling.

Once we had kids, we found ourselves taking a lot more photos than before, and especially more
videos. We also started getting regular requests (as in, weekly) for updates from grandparents and
other family members. However, we found it difficult to share all this content on a regular basis
because the process was too time-consuming and sometimes painful.

We had to organize the files, resize them, and babysit the upload process. The video was even
more painful because we often had to convert the video first (transcode) into a web-friendly
format.

Like most other parents, we are sleep-deprived and don’t have as much free time as before.
Having kids has given us a whole new appreciation for the free time, and we would much rather
spend our time doing other things. Does any of this resonate with you?”

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 Assignment
Build Solution Demo and Conduct Solution Interviews

Note: If you do not sense a strong problem resonance, don’t continue with the Solution Interview,
but rather use the Problem interview script to learn more about how the prospects solve these
problems today.

4. Demo (Test Solution) - This is the heart of the interview.

Go through each problem in turn and illustrate how you solve it using the supporting demo.

“So, that is what the application looks like right now. We are trying to prioritize what to finish and
release first and would like to ask you a few more questions:
• What part of the demo resonated with you the most?
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• Which could you live without?

• Are there any additional features you think are missing?”

5. Test Pricing (Revenue Streams)

Finding the right price is more are than science. Usually, the right price is one the prospect accepts,
but with a little resistance. Test pricing using the “starting price” you determined earlier for this
prospect segment.

Don’t ask the prospect for ballpark pricing. Instead, tell him your pricing model (with or without
anchoring) and gauge his response immediately afterward. If he accepts the pricing, make a note
of whether he hesitated or readily accepted.

“So, let’s talk about pricing next.

We will launch the service using a subscription model.
Would you pay $49 a year for unlimited photo and video sharing?”

6. Wrapping Up (The Ask)

We are done with all the hypothesis questions, but you still have two more questions to ask.

The first is permission to follow up with them to test the service when it is ready. If possible, try to
secure a more concrete commitment than just a verbal one. The second is to ask for referrals to
other people you could potentially interview.

“Thanks a lot for your time today. You have been very helpful. As I mentioned at the start, this is
not a finished product, but we are close to launching something soon. Would you be interested in
trying out the product when we have something ready?

Also, we are looking to interview more people like yourself. Do you know any other parents of
young kids whom we could interview?”

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 Assignment
Build Solution Demo and Conduct Solution Interviews

7. Document Results
Take the five minutes immediately following an interview to document your results while they are
still fresh in your mind.

It helps to create a template like the one that follows so that you can quickly jot down the
responses to the assumptions that you set out to test.

As before, have each interviewer independently fill out the form first. Then have a debriefing
session later where you compare notes and make a final entry into whatever system you use to
record your interview results.
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4. TEMPLATE FOR DOCUMENTING INTERVIEW RESULTS

Below is a template used by Ash Maurya used for interviewing prospects for CloudFire. Customize this
template to suit your solution.

Date: ........................

Contact Information
Name: .............................................................................
Email: ..............................................................................

Demographics
Number of kids: ............................ Ages: ........................
Shares photos online: …………………………………… Shares videos online: …………………………..
How often: ................................. With whom? …………………………………………………………….

Solution:
Priority ranking: ............................ Pain level: ............................

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Build Solution Demo and Conduct Solution Interviews

Additional comments: ..................................................................

Solution:
Priority ranking: ………………………………. Pain level: ……………………………………………………………
Additional comments: …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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Solution:
Priority Ranking: ............................ Pain Level: ............................
Additional Comments: ............................................................................
Pricing
Willing to pay ($X/month): ………………………………………
Notes: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Referrals: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

This content is attributed to Ash Maurya and his book, Running Lean, Second Edition (O’Reilly).
Copyright 2012 Ash Maurya, 978-1-449-30517-8.

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