Idea Validator Skill

When to Use

• After completing Phase 0 (Idea) before entering Phase 1 (Validation)
• When the user proposes a new idea or pivot
• When deciding between multiple product directions
• As a sanity check before committing resources

Tools Required

Instructions

1. Collect Idea Inputs

Get from the user (or from completed Phase 0 deliverables):

• Problem statement: What pain does this solve?
• Target user: Who has this pain? (be specific: role, company size, industry)
• Proposed solution: How does this solve it? (one sentence)
• Revenue model: How does this make money?
• Differentiator: Why can't they just use {existing solution}?

2. Score on 5 Dimensions

Each dimension scored 1-5. Total score determines recommendation.

#### A. Problem Severity (1-5)

Validate with:

firecrawl_search: "{problem_statement} pain point frustrated"
firecrawl_search: "site:reddit.com {target_user} struggling with {problem}"

#### B. Willingness to Pay (1-5)

Validate with:

firecrawl_search: "{category} pricing SaaS"
firecrawl_search: "{competitor} pricing plans"

#### C. Market Timing (1-5)

#### D. Founder-Market Fit (1-5)

#### E. Execution Feasibility (1-5)

3. Generate Scorecard

# Idea Validation Scorecard: {Idea Name}

| Dimension | Score | Evidence |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| Problem Severity | X/5 | {one-line justification} |
| Willingness to Pay | X/5 | {one-line justification} |
| Market Timing | X/5 | {one-line justification} |
| Founder-Market Fit | X/5 | {one-line justification} |
| Execution Feasibility | X/5 | {one-line justification} |
| **TOTAL** | **XX/25** | |

## Recommendation
- 20-25: **STRONG GO** — Execute immediately.
- 15-19: **CONDITIONAL GO** — Proceed but validate {weakest dimension} first.
- 10-14: **PAUSE** — Significant risks. Pivot or de-risk before investing.
- 5-9:  **NO GO** — Fundamental problems. Explore different ideas.

4. Risk Flags

Regardless of score, flag these as deal-breakers:

• Problem Severity = 1 → "No one needs this"
• Willingness to Pay = 1 → "Can't monetize"
• Execution Feasibility = 1 → "Can't build it"

5. Output Format

Save to BRAINIAC/0. Idea/VALIDATION_SCORECARD.md

Quality Gates

• Every score must have evidence (search result, data point, or user testimony)
• WTP score must reference actual competitor pricing
• Total recommendation must match the scoring bands exactly