How I Learned to Talk to Users Before Coding

The silence was deafening. I’d spent weeks, maybe even months, pouring my heart and soul into a new SaaS product.

I was so proud of the sleek UI, the clever automation, the potential. Then, I launched it.

And… crickets. Absolutely zero sign-ups, zero engagement, zero interest.

It was a gut punch.

That was Day 72 of my 52-product challenge, and it felt like a massive failure. I had built something I thought people needed, but I never actually asked them. It was the classic "build it and they will come" fallacy, and it cost me a lot of time and energy.

The problem was clear: I was falling in love with my idea instead of focusing on the problem I was trying to solve for actual people. I was building in a vacuum, fueled by my own assumptions.

So, I decided to change my approach entirely. I developed what I now call my "Pre-Validation Sprint." It’s a ridiculously lean, three-step process to get real user feedback before I write a single line of code.

Step 1: Define the Core Problem & Target Audience

Before anything else, I get super specific. Who am I trying to help, and what exact pain point are they experiencing?

I’m not thinking about features yet, just the problem. I’ll often write this down as a simple statement: "My target audience [X] struggles with [Y] because of [Z]."

Step 2: Craft a Simple "Solution Mockup"

This isn't a clickable prototype or a fancy Figma design. It's usually a simple landing page or even just a detailed description of the solution.

I focus on the outcome the user will achieve. I’ll use tools like Carrd or even just a Google Doc to outline the core benefit and how it works conceptually.

The goal is to have something tangible to show.

Step 3: Talk to 5-10 Potential Users

This is the most crucial step. I'll reach out to people who fit my target audience profile - often through relevant online communities, LinkedIn, or even my existing network. I’ll share my "solution mockup" and ask them:

• "Does this resonate with the problem you're facing?"
• "If this existed, would you use it?"
• "What are you currently doing to solve this problem?"
• "What would be a fair price for a solution like this?"

I'm not selling here; I'm listening. I'm looking for genuine pain and a desire for a solution.

This process has saved me so much wasted effort. For example, I was considering building a tool to automate social media posting for small businesses. My initial idea was complex, with scheduling and analytics.

But after talking to a few business owners, I learned their real pain wasn't advanced scheduling, but simply finding ideas for posts consistently. So, I pivoted.

Instead of building a full-blown scheduler, I created a simple Notion template that generated daily content prompts. It was ridiculously low-tech, but it addressed the core problem.

And guess what? People actually found value in it and were willing to pay.

The biggest takeaway for me is this: Your assumptions are your enemy. Don't build what you think people want. Build what you know they need, by talking to them first.

Your Pre-Validation Sprint doesn't need to be complicated. Just define the problem, create a simple representation of your solution, and have honest conversations with potential users. It’s the fastest way to de-risk your ideas and build something people will actually care about.

What are your favorite ways to validate ideas before coding? Let me know in the comments!