Ben Yoskowitz, author of Lean Analytics, has a great format for this:
I believe [target market] will [do this action / use this solution] for [this reason].
The reason why this works is because it forces the entrepreneur to develop clarity around key concepts that matter.
- Target market: What is your target market? if you cannot state that you cannot find people from within that market to test your hypothesis.
- Observable action: What observable and measurable behavior do you think you can elicit from your target market? This is utterly critical because by now, you will have done a lot of detailed interviews and you will know a lot about your customer - but all of it is through their words. People will often say one thing and do something else. On the other hand, if your hypothesis involves an observable action, you can set up an experiment and try and get your research subject to do that action. Whether they do it or not gives you much more accurate data about the likelihood that you are on the right path.
- Reason for action: Why do you believe your target market will do the action? This you can check AFTER your target market does or does not perform the action to see if you are right or not. Stating it up front clarifies your assumptions about why it is that your target market will do the things they do and again, this is critical knowledge that can guide you towards problem-solution fit.