How can you incorporate lean startup and customer development principles into your wireframes?

1 What are lean startup and customer development?

Lean startup is a methodology that focuses on building products that solve real problems for real customers, rather than following a fixed plan or assumption. It involves testing your ideas with minimum viable products (MVPs) and iterating based on feedback and data. Customer development is a process that helps you discover who your customers are, what they want, and how to reach them. It involves conducting interviews, surveys, and experiments to validate your problem, solution, and market fit.

2 How to create wireframes with lean startup and customer development?

The first step is to define your hypothesis. What is the problem you are trying to solve, who are your customers, and what is your value proposition? Write down your assumptions and how you will test them. For example, you might assume that your customers are busy professionals who need a productivity app that helps them manage their tasks and time. You can test this by interviewing potential users, creating a landing page, or running ads.

The second step is to create your wireframes based on your hypothesis. Use a tool like Figma, Sketch, or Balsamiq to draw the main screens and features of your product. Keep your wireframes simple and focused on the core functionality. Don't worry about the aesthetics or details at this stage. The goal is to communicate your idea clearly and get feedback quickly.

The third step is to validate your wireframes with your customers. Show them your wireframes and ask them open-ended questions about their needs, expectations, and preferences. You can use tools like UserTesting, UsabilityHub, or InVision to share your wireframes and collect feedback online. Alternatively, you can conduct face-to-face or remote sessions with your customers and observe how they interact with your wireframes. The key is to listen to your customers and learn from their insights.

The fourth step is to iterate your wireframes based on the feedback and data. Analyze the results of your validation and identify what works and what doesn't. Do your customers understand your product? Do they find it useful and desirable? Do they have any suggestions or complaints? Based on your findings, make changes to your wireframes and test them again. Repeat this cycle until you reach a satisfactory level of validation.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?