Refinement & Evaluation Criteria#

Use this rubric during Phase 2 (Evaluate & Converge) to stress-test idea directions. Not every criterion applies to every idea — use judgment about which dimensions matter most for the specific context.

Core Evaluation Dimensions#

1. User Value#

The most important dimension. If the value isn't clear, nothing else matters.

Painkiller vs. Vitamin:

• Painkiller: Solves an acute, frequent problem. Users will actively seek this out. They'll switch from their current solution. Signs: people describe the problem with emotion, they've built workarounds, they'll pay for a solution.
• Vitamin: Nice to have. Makes something marginally better. Users won't go out of their way. Signs: people nod politely, say "that's cool," then don't change behavior.

Questions to ask:

• Can you name 3 specific people who have this problem right now?
• What are they doing today instead? (The real competitor is always the current workaround.)
• Would they switch from their current approach? What would make them switch?
• How often do they encounter this problem? (Daily problems > monthly problems)
• Is this a "pull" problem (users are asking for this) or a "push" problem (you think they should want this)?

Red flags:

• "Everyone could use this" — if you can't name a specific user, the value isn't clear
• "It's like X but better" — marginal improvements rarely drive adoption
• The problem is real but rare — high intensity but low frequency rarely justifies a product

2. Feasibility#

Can you actually build this? Not just technically, but practically.

Technical feasibility:

• Does the core technology exist and work reliably?
• What's the hardest technical problem? Is it a known-hard problem or a novel one?
• Are there dependencies on third parties, APIs, or data sources you don't control?
• What's the minimum technical stack needed? (If the answer is "a lot," that's a signal.)

Resource feasibility:

• What's the minimum team/effort to build an MVP?
• Does it require specialized expertise you don't have?
• Are there regulatory, legal, or compliance requirements?

Time-to-value:

• How quickly can you get something in front of users?
• Is there a version that delivers value in days/weeks, not months?
• What's the critical path? What has to happen first?

Red flags:

• "We just need to solve [very hard research problem] first"
• Multiple dependencies that all need to work simultaneously
• MVP still requires months of work — likely not minimal enough

3. Differentiation#

What makes this genuinely different? Not better — different.

Questions to ask:

• If a user described this to a friend, what would they say? Is that description compelling?
• What's the one thing this does that nothing else does? (If you can't name one, that's a problem.)
• Is this differentiation durable? Can a competitor copy it in a week?
• Is the difference something users actually care about, or just something builders find interesting?

Types of differentiation (strongest to weakest):

1. New capability: Does something that was previously impossible
2. 10x improvement: So much better on a key dimension that it changes behavior
3. New audience: Brings an existing capability to people who were excluded
4. New context: Works in a situation where existing solutions fail
5. Better UX: Same capability, dramatically simpler experience
6. Cheaper: Same thing, lower cost (weakest — easily competed away)

Red flags:

• Differentiation is entirely about technology, not user experience
• "We're faster/cheaper/prettier" without a structural reason why
• The feature that differentiates is not the feature users care most about

Assumption Audit#

For every idea direction, explicitly list assumptions in three categories:

Must Be True (Dealbreakers)#

Assumptions that, if wrong, kill the idea entirely. These need validation before building.

Example: "Users will share their data with us" — if they won't, the entire product doesn't work.

Should Be True (Important)#

Assumptions that significantly impact success but don't kill the idea. You can adjust the approach if these are wrong.

Example: "Users prefer self-serve over talking to a person" — if wrong, you need a different go-to-market, but the core product can still work.

Might Be True (Nice to Have)#

Assumptions about secondary features or optimizations. Don't validate these until the core is proven.

Example: "Users will want to share their results with teammates" — a growth feature, not a core value proposition.

Decision Framework#

When choosing between directions, rank on this matrix:

Then use differentiation as the tiebreaker between options in the same quadrant.

MVP Scoping Principles#

When defining MVP scope for the chosen direction:

1. One job, done well. The MVP should nail exactly one user job. Not three jobs done partially.
2. The riskiest assumption first. The MVP's primary purpose is to test the assumption most likely to be wrong.
3. Time-box, not feature-list. "What can we build and test in [timeframe]?" is better than "What features do we need?"
4. The 'Not Doing' list is mandatory. Explicitly name what you're cutting and why. This prevents scope creep and forces honest prioritization.
5. If it's not embarrassing, you waited too long. The first version should feel incomplete to the builder. If it doesn't, you over-built.