var Component=(()=>{var sr=Object.create;var D=Object.defineProperty;var lr=Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor;var cr=Object.getOwnPropertyNames;var fr=Object.getPrototypeOf,dr=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;var H=(l,a)=>()=>(a||l((a={exports:{}}).exports,a),a.exports),hr=(l,a)=>{for(var p in a)D(l,p,{get:a[p],enumerable:!0})},Ee=(l,a,p,y)=>{if(a&&typeof a=="object"||typeof a=="function")for(let g of cr(a))!dr.call(l,g)&&g!==p&&D(l,g,{get:()=>a[g],enumerable:!(y=lr(a,g))||y.enumerable});return l};var mr=(l,a,p)=>(p=l!=null?sr(fr(l)):{},Ee(a||!l||!l.__esModule?D(p,"default",{value:l,enumerable:!0}):p,l)),vr=l=>Ee(D({},"__esModule",{value:!0}),l);var we=H((Er,ke)=>{ke.exports=React});var xe=H(q=>{"use strict";(function(){"use strict";var l=we(),a=Symbol.for("react.element"),p=Symbol.for("react.portal"),y=Symbol.for("react.fragment"),g=Symbol.for("react.strict_mode"),z=Symbol.for("react.profiler"),X=Symbol.for("react.provider"),K=Symbol.for("react.context"),j=Symbol.for("react.forward_ref"),A=Symbol.for("react.suspense"),F=Symbol.for("react.suspense_list"),C=Symbol.for("react.memo"),I=Symbol.for("react.lazy"),Ce=Symbol.for("react.offscreen"),J=Symbol.iterator,Se="@@iterator";function Pe(e){if(e===null||typeof e!="object")return null;var r=J&&e[J]||e[Se];return typeof r=="function"?r:null}var k=l.__SECRET_INTERNALS_DO_NOT_USE_OR_YOU_WILL_BE_FIRED;function h(e){{for(var r=arguments.length,t=new Array(r>1?r-1:0),n=1;n=1&&d>=0&&o[f]!==m[d];)d--;for(;f>=1&&d>=0;f--,d--)if(o[f]!==m[d]){if(f!==1||d!==1)do if(f--,d--,d<0||o[f]!==m[d]){var v=` `+o[f].replace(" at new "," at ");return e.displayName&&v.includes("")&&(v=v.replace("",e.displayName)),typeof e=="function"&&P.set(e,v),v}while(f>=1&&d>=0);break}}}finally{$=!1,V.current=s,$e(),Error.prepareStackTrace=u}var x=e?e.displayName||e.name:"",ye=x?S(x):"";return typeof e=="function"&&P.set(e,ye),ye}function Le(e,r,t){return se(e,!1)}function Ue(e){var r=e.prototype;return!!(r&&r.isReactComponent)}function N(e,r,t){if(e==null)return"";if(typeof e=="function")return se(e,Ue(e));if(typeof e=="string")return S(e);switch(e){case A:return S("Suspense");case F:return S("SuspenseList")}if(typeof e=="object")switch(e.$$typeof){case j:return Le(e.render);case C:return N(e.type,r,t);case I:{var n=e,u=n._payload,s=n._init;try{return N(s(u),r,t)}catch{}}}return""}var O=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty,le={},ce=k.ReactDebugCurrentFrame;function W(e){if(e){var r=e._owner,t=N(e.type,e._source,r?r.type:null);ce.setExtraStackFrame(t)}else ce.setExtraStackFrame(null)}function Be(e,r,t,n,u){{var s=Function.call.bind(O);for(var i in e)if(s(e,i)){var o=void 0;try{if(typeof e[i]!="function"){var m=Error((n||"React class")+": "+t+" type `"+i+"` is invalid; it must be a function, usually from the `prop-types` package, but received `"+typeof e[i]+"`.This often happens because of typos such as `PropTypes.function` instead of `PropTypes.func`.");throw m.name="Invariant Violation",m}o=e[i](r,i,n,t,null,"SECRET_DO_NOT_PASS_THIS_OR_YOU_WILL_BE_FIRED")}catch(f){o=f}o&&!(o instanceof Error)&&(W(u),h("%s: type specification of %s `%s` is invalid; the type checker function must return `null` or an `Error` but returned a %s. You may have forgotten to pass an argument to the type checker creator (arrayOf, instanceOf, objectOf, oneOf, oneOfType, and shape all require an argument).",n||"React class",t,i,typeof o),W(null)),o instanceof Error&&!(o.message in le)&&(le[o.message]=!0,W(u),h("Failed %s type: %s",t,o.message),W(null))}}}var Ge=Array.isArray;function M(e){return Ge(e)}function He(e){{var r=typeof Symbol=="function"&&Symbol.toStringTag,t=r&&e[Symbol.toStringTag]||e.constructor.name||"Object";return t}}function qe(e){try{return fe(e),!1}catch{return!0}}function fe(e){return""+e}function de(e){if(qe(e))return h("The provided key is an unsupported type %s. This value must be coerced to a string before before using it here.",He(e)),fe(e)}var T=k.ReactCurrentOwner,ze={key:!0,ref:!0,__self:!0,__source:!0},he,me,L;L={};function Xe(e){if(O.call(e,"ref")){var r=Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(e,"ref").get;if(r&&r.isReactWarning)return!1}return e.ref!==void 0}function Ke(e){if(O.call(e,"key")){var r=Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(e,"key").get;if(r&&r.isReactWarning)return!1}return e.key!==void 0}function Je(e,r){if(typeof e.ref=="string"&&T.current&&r&&T.current.stateNode!==r){var t=b(T.current.type);L[t]||(h('Component "%s" contains the string ref "%s". Support for string refs will be removed in a future major release. This case cannot be automatically converted to an arrow function. We ask you to manually fix this case by using useRef() or createRef() instead. Learn more about using refs safely here: https://reactjs.org/link/strict-mode-string-ref',b(T.current.type),e.ref),L[t]=!0)}}function Ze(e,r){{var t=function(){he||(he=!0,h("%s: `key` is not a prop. Trying to access it will result in `undefined` being returned. If you need to access the same value within the child component, you should pass it as a different prop. (https://reactjs.org/link/special-props)",r))};t.isReactWarning=!0,Object.defineProperty(e,"key",{get:t,configurable:!0})}}function Qe(e,r){{var t=function(){me||(me=!0,h("%s: `ref` is not a prop. Trying to access it will result in `undefined` being returned. If you need to access the same value within the child component, you should pass it as a different prop. (https://reactjs.org/link/special-props)",r))};t.isReactWarning=!0,Object.defineProperty(e,"ref",{get:t,configurable:!0})}}var er=function(e,r,t,n,u,s,i){var o={$$typeof:a,type:e,key:r,ref:t,props:i,_owner:s};return o._store={},Object.defineProperty(o._store,"validated",{configurable:!1,enumerable:!1,writable:!0,value:!1}),Object.defineProperty(o,"_self",{configurable:!1,enumerable:!1,writable:!1,value:n}),Object.defineProperty(o,"_source",{configurable:!1,enumerable:!1,writable:!1,value:u}),Object.freeze&&(Object.freeze(o.props),Object.freeze(o)),o};function rr(e,r,t,n,u){{var s,i={},o=null,m=null;t!==void 0&&(de(t),o=""+t),Ke(r)&&(de(r.key),o=""+r.key),Xe(r)&&(m=r.ref,Je(r,u));for(s in r)O.call(r,s)&&!ze.hasOwnProperty(s)&&(i[s]=r[s]);if(e&&e.defaultProps){var f=e.defaultProps;for(s in f)i[s]===void 0&&(i[s]=f[s])}if(o||m){var d=typeof e=="function"?e.displayName||e.name||"Unknown":e;o&&Ze(i,d),m&&Qe(i,d)}return er(e,o,m,u,n,T.current,i)}}var U=k.ReactCurrentOwner,ve=k.ReactDebugCurrentFrame;function w(e){if(e){var r=e._owner,t=N(e.type,e._source,r?r.type:null);ve.setExtraStackFrame(t)}else ve.setExtraStackFrame(null)}var B;B=!1;function G(e){return typeof e=="object"&&e!==null&&e.$$typeof===a}function pe(){{if(U.current){var e=b(U.current.type);if(e)return` Check the render method of \``+e+"`."}return""}}function tr(e){{if(e!==void 0){var r=e.fileName.replace(/^.*[\\\/]/,""),t=e.lineNumber;return` Check your code at `+r+":"+t+"."}return""}}var be={};function nr(e){{var r=pe();if(!r){var t=typeof e=="string"?e:e.displayName||e.name;t&&(r=` Check the top-level render call using <`+t+">.")}return r}}function _e(e,r){{if(!e._store||e._store.validated||e.key!=null)return;e._store.validated=!0;var t=nr(r);if(be[t])return;be[t]=!0;var n="";e&&e._owner&&e._owner!==U.current&&(n=" It was passed a child from "+b(e._owner.type)+"."),w(e),h('Each child in a list should have a unique "key" prop.%s%s See https://reactjs.org/link/warning-keys for more information.',t,n),w(null)}}function ge(e,r){{if(typeof e!="object")return;if(M(e))for(var t=0;t",o=" Did you accidentally export a JSX literal instead of a component?"):f=typeof e,h("React.jsx: type is invalid -- expected a string (for built-in components) or a class/function (for composite components) but got: %s.%s",f,o)}var d=rr(e,r,t,u,s);if(d==null)return d;if(i){var v=r.children;if(v!==void 0)if(n)if(M(v)){for(var x=0;x{"use strict";Re.exports=xe()});var gr={};hr(gr,{default:()=>_r,frontmatter:()=>pr});var c=mr(Te()),pr={title:"How to Validate a Software Idea With Customer Interviews",description:"A practical customer-interview framework for founders who want evidence before they invest in software development.",publishedAt:"2026-09-01",updatedAt:"2026-09-01",author:"Jared Hooker",isPublished:!0,tags:["software-validation","saas-mvp","founder-guide"],backlink:"https://www.hookerhillstudios.com/Services/Software"};function je(l){let a=Object.assign({h1:"h1",a:"a",span:"span",p:"p",h2:"h2"},l.components);return(0,c.jsxDEV)(c.Fragment,{children:[(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.h1,{id:"how-to-validate-a-software-idea-with-customer-interviews",children:["How to Validate a Software Idea With Customer Interviews",(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.a,{"aria-hidden":"true",tabIndex:"-1",href:"#how-to-validate-a-software-idea-with-customer-interviews",children:(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.span,{className:"icon icon-link"},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)]},void 0,!0,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:12,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.p,{children:"Customer interviews are not a pitch. They are a chance to understand how people solve a problem today and whether the problem is painful enough to change behavior."},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:14,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.h2,{id:"ask-about-the-past-not-hypotheticals",children:["Ask about the past, not hypotheticals",(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.a,{"aria-hidden":"true",tabIndex:"-1",href:"#ask-about-the-past-not-hypotheticals",children:(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.span,{className:"icon icon-link"},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)]},void 0,!0,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:16,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.p,{children:"Ask when the problem last happened, what they did, how long it took, what it cost, and what they dislike about the current solution. Past behavior is stronger evidence than \u201CI would use that.\u201D"},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:18,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.h2,{id:"listen-for-repeated-language",children:["Listen for repeated language",(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.a,{"aria-hidden":"true",tabIndex:"-1",href:"#listen-for-repeated-language",children:(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.span,{className:"icon icon-link"},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)]},void 0,!0,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:20,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.p,{children:"The words customers use to describe the problem can shape a clearer product message and a more focused first release."},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:22,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.h2,{id:"turn-findings-into-a-small-test",children:["Turn findings into a small test",(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.a,{"aria-hidden":"true",tabIndex:"-1",href:"#turn-findings-into-a-small-test",children:(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.span,{className:"icon icon-link"},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)]},void 0,!0,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:24,columnNumber:1},this),` `,(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.p,{children:["Choose one audience, one painful job, and one core outcome. Then use that evidence to scope an MVP deliberately with our ",(0,c.jsxDEV)(a.a,{href:"/Services/Software",children:"SaaS development service"},void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:26,columnNumber:122},this),"."]},void 0,!0,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:26,columnNumber:1},this)]},void 0,!0,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx",lineNumber:1,columnNumber:1},this)}function br(l={}){let{wrapper:a}=l.components||{};return a?(0,c.jsxDEV)(a,Object.assign({},l,{children:(0,c.jsxDEV)(je,l,void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this)}),void 0,!1,{fileName:"/home/jrh89/Work/hooker-hill-studios/content/_mdx_bundler_entry_point-6680de09-0af0-4adb-8182-164f72cddcc3.mdx"},this):je(l)}var _r=br;return vr(gr);})(); /*! Bundled license information: react/cjs/react-jsx-dev-runtime.development.js: (** * @license React * react-jsx-dev-runtime.development.js * * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates. * * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. *) */ ;return Component;

founder guide

How to Validate a Software Idea With Customer Interviews