How To Test The Greatness Of Your Idea

Right then, just a few minutes before you start falling asleep, it hits you: a brilliant idea! I love those moments as they do render the best ideas. However, they do keep me up all night as well. As my eyes burn from my sockets I try to type the idea into my fiercely glowing mobile. As I wake up the next day I think of my next new idea. Time has come to level with the real world: what do others think of this idea? Is it good, great, or utter crap?

I will now reveal a straight forward method to test your idea. Because top-line testing ideas is key to the success of your next steps.

 

The Ground Work

It is important to do some ground work first. This will make the process of testing easier and quicker:

  1. Summarize your idea in 1 line so it can fit on a highway billboard sign (so short and smart!)
  2. Find 10 people who have proven knowledge of the idea’s subject

test ideas

Try to write down the oneliner I mentioned above (1). Is it clear and catchy? Remember, you don’t need to convince an entrepreneur or bank. This phase of testing ideas is purely focussed on the potential of your idea, so no need to get all enthusiastic here (…I know you will be anyway). Okay, then there are the 10 peeps. Each of them will need to follow up with a scoring grade (more below).

The Testing Phase

Now the testing begins! Pitch your supershort oneliner idea to the first person. Then ask him/her to rate the idea with a grade from 1 to 10. It is important to inform each person what the grade score actually means. Everything above 5 stands for ‘little potential’ until ‘brilliant idea’. Everything below 5 stands for ‘no potential’ to ‘utter crap idea’. Collect the grades from all 10 persons, sum them up and divide the total sum with 10. And there it is! The greatness level of your idea.

test idea

If the idea grade is above 5, get in touch with all ten participants and ask them for a more detailed opinion. Ask them what is missing or what improvements are needed to raise the grade to a 8, 9 or even 10! I hope you find this ideas test useful. What do you do to test ideas? Let me know in the comment box below.

Rene Andreasi-Bassi

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Written by Rene

Founder of BuyMyIdea. Creative thinker, idea generator and believer in the creative talent that lies in every single soul.

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  • Anna-Louisa Peeters

    I’ve found doing small experiential user tests is a very effective way to test an idea’s potential. Merely telling about an idea may not convey the actual quality of it. Rough mock-ups/prototypes that appeal to people’s senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste) can give powerful insights!

  • Rene

    Thanks Anna, very much agree. Especially with the ideas that are based on tangible goods. All non-tangible goods ideas are best explained with little drawings and storyboards is my experience.