The Fake Door

Test your product idea without writing a single line of code

What I learned from a button that led nowhere...

I had a fascinating experience on the indoor cycling app Rouvy this week. I saw a button for a feature I’ve been wanting: ‘Create my personalised training plan’. I clicked it immediately.

But instead of a new feature, it took me to a Typeform survey explaining that the feature wasn't available yet. The Typeform page asked me a few easy-to-answer questions as to how essential this feature would be for me. This is a brilliant example of a "Fake Door" Minimum Viable Test (MVT).

“A 'Fake Door' is a button for a feature that doesn't exist yet. Its purpose isn't to trick the user, but to measure real intent.”

A CLICK IS A VOTE

Rouvy didn't have to write a single line of code for the feature, but they got priceless data to prioritize their roadmap.

This is a classic Lean technique. Buffer (the social media manager tool) famously started with a landing page that had a 'Plans and Pricing' button. Clicking it just led to a 'coming soon' page. The clicks validated that people were willing to pay before the product was even built.

In my book, "The Lean Pivot," we dive deep into these kinds of fast, cheap, and powerful experiments to stop building features nobody needs.

What's the riskiest feature on your roadmap? Could you test it with a Fake Door this week?

#LeanPivot #MVT #FakeDoor #ProductManagement #LeanStartup #Innovation #ProductStrategy #Rouvy #Buffer