How to test info product ideas so they don’t fall flat

I want to tell you the story of creating my first info product in 2020, where I focussed on user research as much as creating.

Why did I do that? I wanted to gauge viability before creating a full product. With content products this can prevent you wasting your time on bad ideas, labouring away on content creation nobody wants.

To do this, I used some simple prototypes, research and iteration along the way.

It seems totally logical to suggest this kind of process, but how many of us online creators ever take this approach? It can be more fun to just create, right?

What I’m talking about is an iterative process instead, loosely based on Design Thinking methodology. It keeps your work inline with the user need at every step, instead of working in isolation.

—What I’m talking about is an iterative process

I realise it’s not always appropriate to use this method of validation either. You may have existing validation from previous work, or you could ‘build in public’ to gauge interest (assuming your target audience is one you have access to via socials).

However, if the cost or time to create something valuable is more than you want to risk, it’s worth following this kind of iterative process. It’s easier than you think.

So, in the hope of inspiring other creators, I’m going to write a mini series about the way I wrote and sold my first ebook, Tiny Design Lessons. (Spoiler: the book has sold over 150 copies since 2020).

The first post will be about discovery and research, and will follow shortly.