The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick is a book about how to validate business ideas and avoid wasting time on ideas that won't work. The "Mom Test" refers to the fact that even if you ask your mom for feedback on your business idea, she will likely try to spare your feelings and say something positive. Fitzpatrick argues you need to get honest feedback from potential customers before investing a lot of time into an idea.

To get good feedback, Fitzpatrick recommends:

• Asking open-ended questions about problems customers are facing, rather than directly asking for feedback on your solution. This allows you to learn about their real issues and see if your idea actually solves them.
• Talking to customers in person or on the phone rather than via surveys. This makes it easier for them to give honest, thoughtful feedback.
• Asking neutral, open-minded follow-up questions to understand their perspectives fully. Avoid being defensive about your idea.
• Looking for patterns in the feedback to identify common issues or suggestions. See if you notice any important problems with your concept that need to be addressed.
• Continually testing your idea and iterations of your product to make sure you're building something customers actually want and need. Incorporate their feedback into improving the product.

Overall, the key lessons of the book are to seek honest feedback from real customers, listen with an open mind, look for true problems you can solve, and repeatedly validate your ideas before spending too many resources on them. By following the Mom Test approach, you can avoid wasting time on ideas that won't work in practice and focus on building products that customers will truly value.