TEST CARDS TO VALIDATE HYPOTHESES

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Test Cards are a a set of tools or charters that help design teams evaluate and improve the usability and user experience of their products or services. These charts contain different types of tasks or exercises that can be performed with users to obtain valuable information and improve the user experience.

In general, Test Cards are divided into different categories, such as navigation, search, feedback, accessibility, among others. Each category has different tasks or exercises that can be performed with users to evaluate the usability and user experience of a product or service.

For example, a navigation task could be asking a user to find a specific page on a website and observing how he/she navigates through the site. A search task could be asking a user to find a specific product in an online shop and observing how they use the site's search function. A feedback task could be asking a user to provide feedback on the usability of the site.

Test Cards are a valuable tool for design teams to evaluate the usability and user experience of their products or services in a structured and systematic way. By conducting these tasks or exercises with users, teams can gain valuable information that they can use to improve the usability and user experience of their product or service.

Test cards to validate hypotheses

Test Cards are a tool useful for the validation of hypotheses in the process of creating products or services. They consist of cards containing key questions related to the hypothesis to be validated, which help to obtain relevant information from potential customers or users.

Some common questions that can be included in Test Cards are:

1. What problems have you encountered in relation to [the problem to be solved by the product or service]?
2. How do you currently solve [the problem to be solved by the product or service]?
3. How much would you be willing to pay for a product or service that solves [the problem to be solved]?
4. What features or functionalities would you like a product or service to have that solves [the problem to be solved]?
5. How do you think we could improve our current product or service?

These questions can be adapted and customised according to the specific needs of each project. The Test Cards are used in interview sessions or focus groups with potential customers or users, where they are presented with the hypothesis to be validated and asked to answer the questions on the cards. The data obtained is analysed to determine whether the hypothesis is validated or discarded and, if necessary, the product or service is adjusted accordingly.

In short, Test Cards are a useful tool to validate hypotheses and obtain relevant information from potential customers or users. They are based on key questions that help to obtain valuable information and are used in interview sessions or focus groups with potential customers or users.

Practical example of hypothesis validation with the card test

Let's imagine that a fast food startup wants to launch a new line of vegan products. The startup's assumption is that there is sufficient demand for vegan products in the market and that they could be successful in their geographic area.

TO VALIDATE THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE START-UP COULD USE THE TEST CARDS IN THE FOLLOWING WAY:

1. Identify the hypothesis: "The demand for vegan products in our geographical area is sufficient for our vegan product line to be successful".
2. Identify the key assumptions behind the hypothesis: "There is a significant number of people who prefer vegan food", "There is a lack of vegan food options in the area", "Vegan products are perceived as healthy and sustainable".
3. Create specific questions for each scenario: "How often do you eat vegan food?", "How much would you be willing to pay for vegan products?", "Would you like to see more vegan food options in our area?", "What do you think about the sustainability of vegan products?".
4. Design a questionnaire or survey based on the specific questions and administer it to a representative sample of the target population.
5. Analyse the survey results to determine whether the assumptions behind the hypothesis are true or false.

In this case, if the survey results indicate that there is significant demand for vegan products in the area, that consumers are willing to pay a reasonable price for these products, and that vegan products are perceived as healthy and sustainable, the startup could consider its hypothesis validated. If, on the other hand, the survey results do not support the key assumptions behind the hypothesis, the startup might consider the need to reformulate its strategy.

Advantages and disadvantages of test cards

The Test Card is a useful tool for validating hypotheses quickly and efficiently.

AMONG THE ADVANTAGES IT OFFERS, WE CAN MENTION:

• It is a simple and easy-to-use tool, which does not require a great deal of technical knowledge.
• It enables rapid validation of hypotheses, saving entrepreneurs valuable time and resources.
• It helps entrepreneurs to maintain a customer-centric approach, which translates into a better understanding of their needs and wants.
• It allows entrepreneurs to obtain valuable feedback from users about their products or services, which helps them to improve their value proposition.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE ALSO SOME DISADVANTAGES TO CONSIDER:

• The Test Card does not provide a complete and detailed validation of a hypothesis, so you cannot rely exclusively on this tool to make important decisions.
• Feedback obtained through Test Cards may be biased, as the users participating in the process may not be representative of the overall market.
• Some entrepreneurs may not have the necessary skills or experience to use this tool effectively, which can lead to inaccurate or incomplete results.

In summary, the Test Card is a valuable tool for validating hypotheses in the initial stage of a business project, but it should be used in combination with other tools and techniques to obtain a more complete and detailed validation.

Test Cards and Learning Cards

Test Cards and Learning Cards are two tools used in the process of hypothesis validation and continuous learning in business and entrepreneurship. Although both have a similar purpose, they differ in their approach and application.

• Test Cards are a tool for hypothesis validation, which consists of creating a card with a statement representing a hypothesis to be validated and including relevant information for its testing. The idea is to test the hypothesis quickly and inexpensively to obtain results that allow the hypothesis to be adjusted or discarded. It is a very useful tool in the early phase of product or service development.
• On the other hand, Learning Cards are a tool of continuous learning that focuses on constant improvement and feedback from the work team. Learning Cards are cards that contain detailed information on a specific topic and are used for learning in a structured and systematic way. Learning Cards are used to promote reflection, analysis and discussion on a particular topic and to encourage learning and continuous improvement.

In summary, while Test Cards focus on the validation of hypotheses for the development of a product or service, Learning Cards focus on learning and continuous improvement of the work team. Both tools are useful and complementary in the innovation and entrepreneurship process.

It is important to highlight that there are different methodologies and tools within the business and entrepreneurial sphere, so it is essential to have a broad and up-to-date knowledge of them in order to be able to apply them effectively and adapt them to the needs of each project or company.