The Fake Door Pretotype

The Fake Door pretotype is a technique where you create a "front door" for a product that doesn't exist yet, to see how many people will try to open it. The front door can be an ad, a website, a brochure, or a physical storefront.

The goal is to gauge market interest in your idea before you invest in building it. If you can't get enough people to knock on your fake door, it's a sign that your idea may not be The Right It.

A classic example of a Fake Door pretotype is to create a simple landing page for a new product, with a "Buy Now" button. When a user clicks the button, they are taken to a page that says the product is not yet available, but they can sign up to be notified when it is.

The number of people who click the "Buy Now" button and provide their email address is a strong signal of market interest. It's a form of skin in the game, because people are giving you their contact information in exchange for the promise of a future product.

The Fake Door pretotype is a powerful way to test your Market Engagement Hypothesis quickly and cheaply. However, it's important to be ethical and transparent with your users. It's a good practice to offer them something of value in return for their interest, such as a discount or a free sample.