Purpose
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.
Product Discovery Research method
Pretotyping
Tests market interest with very cheap fakes before a real product is built.
Pretotyping first asks whether the right thing is being built. A hypothesis, skin-in-the-game behaviour, XYZ statement, and preset threshold limit self-deception.
Does the target audience show real behaviour for this idea before we build it?
- Participants
- 1-4
- Time
- Stunden bis wenige Tage
Pretotyping uses XYZ hypothesis plus Mechanical Turk, Pinocchio, Fake Door, or concierge pretotype. Assessments remain justified and context-bound.
XYZ hypothesis
XYZ hypothesis
Quantify audience, proportion, behaviour, and horizon.
Choose pretotype
Choose pretotype
Choose the cheapest credible simulation for the behaviour.
Run test
Run test
Capture traffic, eligibility, commitment, and drop-off cleanly.
Decide
Decide
Compare result to threshold and decide build, iterate, or stop.
Update after new evidence or a material context change and retain the previous version.
A good fit when
For early demand, usage, or channel uncertainty with reversible tests.
Ideal for
- Very early idea validation
- Market demand checks
- Reducing risk before prototype or MVP investment
- Evidence before engineering work
Not good for
- Detailed UX testing of existing products
- Pure technical feasibility questions
- Already validated problems
Outputs
pretotype evidence card
pretotype evidence card with traceable sources, assumptions, and domain decisions.
Decision and review trail
Owners, dates, and next review for pretotype evidence card.
pretotype evidence card
Fictional worked example
XYZ hypothesis plus Mechanical Turk, Pinocchio, Fake Door, or concierge pretotype as a precise working structure with a fictional example.
XYZ hypothesis
XYZ hypothesis information to record
≥3/20 qualifizierte Teams reservieren in 10 Tagen.
Pretotype
Pretotype information to record
Fake Door mit erstattbarer 50-€-Reservierung.
Commitment/denominator
Commitment/denominator information to record
4 gültige Reservierungen von 20.
Threshold/decision
Threshold/decision information to record
Schwelle erreicht: Pilot bauen.
The example demonstrates the domain logic of Pretotyping; worksheets remain blank.
First step
Start with the core question: Does the target audience show real behaviour for this idea before we build it?
Deep dive
How it works
The team formulates the idea as a market claim, chooses the smallest suitable pretotyping technique, tests with real behavior instead of opinions, measures conversion or action, decides whether to build, change, or discard the idea, and documents the learning.
In detail
Pretotyping, coined by Alberto Savoia at Google, tests whether a product would be wanted before building a prototype. Pretotypes use minimal real materials such as a landing page, mock, poster, concierge service, or manual workflow, but collect real behavior: someone signs up, clicks, pays, waits, or declines. The data becomes a factual basis for deciding whether, what, and how to build.
Facilitation
Choose the pretotyping technique strictly from the question being tested. Define success thresholds before launch, and resist overinterpreting weak signals.
The method guide walks execution through 4 phases, timing, 4 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open method guideYour perspective
Does this method help with your work?
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Sources and topics
Topics
Artifact templates
Pretotyping: WorksheetPlan Pretotyping around its domain steps and the concrete decision question.markdown
Pretotyping: WorksheetPlan Pretotyping around its domain steps and the concrete decision question.
markdownpretotyping-working-template.md
Plan Pretotyping around its domain steps and the concrete decision question.
Pretotyping: Worksheet
Question
To be confirmed
Desired outcome
To be confirmed
Scope
Establish and review the practice Time: 1 day to 2 weeks
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
Preparation for this scope
Method setup
- Materials: Idea and target segment, observable commitment, ethical and operational boundaries, shared workspace, source links, and decision log.
- Roles: Idea owner · Research/Growth · builder · Risk/Legal as needed
- Advance information: Collect Idea and target segment, observable commitment, ethical and operational boundaries in advance and mark open assumptions.
- Overall time needed: 1 day to 2 weeks
- Setup: Prepare XYZ hypothesis plus Mechanical Turk, Pinocchio, Fake Door, or concierge pretotype visibly and calibrate assessment terms before starting.
Prepare for the work steps
XYZ hypothesis: XYZ hypothesis
- Idea and target segment
- observable commitment
- ethical and operational boundaries
Choose pretotype: Choose pretotype
- XYZ statement
- observable commitment
- ethical and operational boundaries
Run test: Run test
- pretotype design
- observable commitment
- ethical and operational boundaries
Decide: Decide
- behaviour data
- observable commitment
- ethical and operational boundaries
pretotype evidence card
XYZ hypothesis
XYZ hypothesis information to record
...
Pretotype
Pretotype information to record
...
Commitment/denominator
Commitment/denominator information to record
...
Threshold/decision
Threshold/decision information to record
...
Enter only real input, sources, and decisions.
XYZ hypothesis: XYZ hypothesis
Expected artifact: XYZ statement
XYZ statement · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
...
- Is behaviour stronger than opinion?
Choose pretotype: Choose pretotype
Expected artifact: pretotype design
pretotype design · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
...
- Does the test avoid unnecessary build?
Run test: Run test
Expected artifact: behaviour data
behaviour data · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
...
- Is the denominator complete?
Decide: Decide
Expected artifact: pretotype decision
pretotype decision · source · uncertainty · next decision
Entry:
...
- Was the rule set before seeing data?
Open questions and next steps
...
Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/pretotyping/run-sheet
Alternatives and neighbors
Fitting alternatives with decision guidance, followed by other related methods.
Product Discovery
Fake Door Test
Instead of Pretotyping, choose Fake Door Test when you want to measure demand for a feature directly in the product instead of through a landing page.
Product Discovery
Smoke Test
Instead of Pretotyping, choose Smoke Test when you want to validate interest with minimal effort and a clear message.
Product Discovery
MVP Test Matrix
Moves customer problem, solution idea, and evidence toward a concrete result through "list assumptions", "map assumptions to dimensions", and "derive the test plan".
Product Discovery
Landing Page Test
Tests value proposition and offering through a landing page, so conversion data supports early product decisions.
Product Discovery
Solution Interview
Clarifies customer problems, solution ideas, and evidence by preparing a solution concept, recruiting target customers, and deriving risks and next tests.
Product Discovery
Wizard of Oz Test
Simulates a solution manually to test value, effort, and user reaction before technical implementation.
Constraints and origin
LowWorkshop + asyncStunden bis wenige Tage
Profile
- Method form
- Research method
- Participants
- 1-4
- Time
- Stunden bis wenige Tage
- Maturity
- Established
- Origin
- Alberto Savoia
Next up: Concierge MVP