View methods side by side.
Choose up to four methods. Add them using the search and share the comparison by copying its link.
| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation Dot Estimation | ![]() Innovation Lean Startup | ![]() Product Discovery Smoke Test | ![]() Product Discovery Pretotyping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets. | For uncertain business assumptions, the method forces the idea into contact with real market reactions early. It separates wishful picture, assumption, and observable behavior, so that learning becomes faster than planning. This translates uncertainty into measurable insight. | When demand only needs to be roughly verified, it tests interest with minimal effort. It measures whether people would take a next step at all. | Pretotyping clarifies whether a customer problem and solution idea create enough real demand. It separates problem, assumption, solution, and evidence, and captures the result as a pretotyping sketch, test setup, and conversion data. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 5-20 min | Wochen bis Monate je Lernzyklus | 1-5 Tage | Stunden bis wenige Tage |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | 2-8 | Nutzertraffic | 1-4 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets | Hypothesis list, MVPs, Learning reports, Pivot or persevere decision | Interest Metrics, Conversion Signal, Learning Note | Pretotyping sketch, Test setup, Conversion data, Go or no-go decision |
Tagsno overlap | EstimationEffortRisk | LeanStartupValidationMVP | ValidationExperimentsDemandGrowth | ValidationDemandMVP |



