Before you invest time and resources in developing a prototype, it is worth validating and iterating your solution ideas — in other words, revising and adapting them repeatedly based on feedback from the target groups and the insights gained. This not only saves effort, but also increases the chances of success.
You’ve come to the right place if …
- you want to found an impact startup or are already in the middle of it with your team.
- you already know your target group and their needs.
- you have tested solution ideas for a problem and obtained feedback.
- you have built an effect staircase.
Not quite ready yet?
Then select the appropriate chapter here
This chapter helps to …
- to confirm or improve your solution ideas.
- further sharpen your impact logic and refine the impact ladder.
- prioritize the next steps.
Validate assumptions about your solution ideas
By systematically checking your assumptions and comparing them with the findings from interviews, you can refine your ideas, set priorities and develop a coherent impact logic. We recommend the following three steps:
1. sort your interview data and form clusters
Collect and note down all statements, observations and quotes from the interviews on post-its or in digital notes.
Group similar statements and identify recurring themes and patterns. By forming topic clusters, you can categorize insights to help prioritize and identify which solution idea resonated most.
2. check your assumptions critically
Check the assumptions you have made about your solution idea. Do the statements from the interviews match your research and your considerations?
3. refine your impact logic with the help of the impact ladder
Use the impact staircase already created in the chapter “Solution design: Finding a solution with which a startup creates impact“to clearly illustrate the individual steps from problem to solution to impact and ensure that your impact logic is coherent. Supplement and update your impact staircase with the validated findings about your solution. These impact goals are the basis for the subsequent impact measurement.
Effort-Impact-Matrix: Are your solution ideas feasible?
The Effort-Impact-Matrix helps you to find out which of your ideas promise the greatest benefit for a reasonable use of resources. This is particularly important for social enterprises with limited resources. You can estimate the impact and the resources required through the interviews and a rough calculation of the inputs.
1. defines the X and Y axes
- X‑axis (Effort/feasibility): This is about the effort required for implementation — be it time, costs, resources or technical complexity, from “high effort/difficult to implement” (right) to “low effort/easy to implement” (left).
- Y‑axis (impact): This axis represents the potential social impact of your solution, from “low impact” (bottom) to “high impact” (top).
2. evaluate and position your ideas
- Evaluate each of your ideas based on the two criteria “Impact” and “Effort”:
- Impact: What is the expected benefit or effect of the solution?
- Effort/feasibility: How difficult or resource-intensive is the implementation?
- Place your solutions on the matrix accordingly.
3. prioritize your solutions
- Quick wins (top left): High impact, low effort — you should tackle these solutions first. They are relatively easy to implement and bring great benefits.
- Major projects (top right): High impact, high effort — These solutions are worthwhile, but they require significant resources and planning. You should prioritize them according to the quick wins.
- Fill-ins (bottom left): Low impact, low effort — You can implement these solutions if you have time and resources to spare, but they are not crucial.
- Thankless tasks (bottom right): Low impact, high effort — these solutions are best avoided as the effort does not justify the benefit.
Next chapter: Developing a prototype
Can you clearly name and prove the problem, the target group and the impact ? And you have developed an accepted solution? Wonderful. Do you also have all the financial, human and technical resources you need to develop a prototype?
If all this applies, you can go to prototyping proceed to prototyping.
If not, no problem: The best thing to do is to go through the solution design again and return to the chapter “Solution design: Finding a solution with which a startup creates impact”. This will ensure that you have a solid foundation.
You can’t get any further?
Tips to help validate solution ideas and impact logic
Finding more creative solutions
Use various creativity techniques such as brainstorming or mind mapping. Look at the problem from different perspectives by involving more stakeholders. Look for similar problems in other industries or contexts and check how they are solved there.
More iterative approach
Test individual aspects of your solution before developing a prototype for the complete solution. Use the effect staircase to build up the test steps logically and refine them further.
Prioritizing individual functions
Creates a prioritized list of features based on their value to the target audience. Concentrate on the core functions that solve the problem most effectively.
More systematic evaluation of solution ideas
Develop clear criteria for evaluating your solution ideas. Creates a comparison table to objectively evaluate different solutions. Considers factors such as feasibility, cost and potential impact.
Shorten feedback loops
Obtain feedback earlier and more frequently.
Tips to help validate the problem and target group
Analyze the problem more thoroughly
Check whether you have really understood the underlying problem. Carries out an in-depth situation analysis in order to understand the current situation more precisely. Critically question your original assumptions.
Deepening the target group analysis
Conduct further interviews or surveys to gain deeper insights into the needs and pain points of your target group.
Checking the goals
Check whether your goals are still relevant and realistic. Define clear, measurable success criteria for your solution ideas.