I'm a solo founder working on a B2B SaaS tool for small architecture firms, and I'm trying to conduct proper market validation before I write another line of code. I've interviewed about ten potential users, and they all say they'd love a solution to this specific workflow problem, but I'm worried about "interviewer bias" where they're just being polite. I need to design a more concrete test, like a landing page with a waitlist or a minimum viable product demo, to gauge real interest. For other entrepreneurs, what low-cost, high-signal methods did you use to move from "that sounds cool" to validated, quantifiable demand? How many sign-ups or demo requests did you need to see before feeling confident enough to build the full product?
Run a simple landing page with a waitlist to gauge real interest before coding.
Set up tiny, low-cost experiments to move from interest to data: a concierge MVP where you manually run the workflow for a few firms, plus a landing page that collects emails and a simple demo video. Track signup rate and engagement to judge product-market fit.
Structure your validation around testable hypotheses and minimal artifacts. Start with a landing page that states a precise job your tool would do for architecture firms, then offer a lightweight MVP (even a guided demo or spreadsheet-based prototype) to prove the concept. Use a two-week funnel: visits to signups, and from signups to a booked demo or pilot. Keep traffic sources varied, and document why people convert or drop. After each test, write a one-paragraph postmortem on what changed your mind and what would justify building the full product.
A practical benchmark is 20-50 signups or booked demos to signal real interest; if you can't reach that in a test window, reframe your value proposition or pricing.