Validate your app idea in 5 days — before a single line of code
The most expensive app is the one you build for three months and nobody downloads. Validation compresses that discovery to one week. The key discipline: set the pass threshold before the test, so you can't rationalize a failure afterwards.
Day 1 — the promise page
One landing page: a headline stating the outcome, three benefits, an email field. Write it as if the product exists. Deploy free (Netlify/Vercel, 10 minutes).
Day 2–3 — go where the pain lives
Post honestly in the exact communities where you found the complaints: "I'm building this because of this thread — would it help you?" Follow each subreddit's self-promo rules; comment-first where links are banned. No astroturfing — it gets detected and torches the brand.
Day 4–7 — measure against the pre-set bar
Thresholds that mean something: 10%+ visitor→email = strong signal, build it. 3–10% = weak; sharpen the promise, run one retest. Under 3% = walk away and celebrate the 3 months you just saved.
What validation cannot tell you
Willingness to pay is only proven by a price on the page. If monetization matters, show the intended price during the test — signups at a visible $9/mo are worth 10× free-waitlist signups.
Next step after a PASS: lock your keywords and name with real ASO data.
ShipClaude runs this entire method inside Claude Code — mining, validation, build, launch.
See the factory — from $59