# Validation Kit

Interview questions and the pre-sell framework.

_Part of NIGHT//SHIFT OS. Planning material only — nothing here promises income or results._

## Problem mining system

Six places to dig for problems people describe in their own words, and how to record what you find.

### Where to mine

- Reddit: search the subreddit for 'how do I', 'anyone else', 'what do you use for'. Sort by top, past year.
- Reviews of competing products: 1-star reviews name what is missing; 4-star reviews name what almost worked.
- Your own inbox and DMs: every question asked twice is a product candidate.
- Job boards and freelancer sites: tasks people pay humans for can often be productized.
- Community Q&A (Facebook groups, Discords, forums): count repeated questions across a month.
- Search suggestions: type the problem into a search bar and record the autocomplete phrases.

### What to record

- The exact phrase the person used.
- What they tried already.
- What it costs them (money, hours, embarrassment, missed opportunity).
- Whether anyone in the thread mentioned paying for a solution.

### Stop when

- You have ten quotes for one problem from at least three sources.
- You can write the problem in one sentence a stranger would recognize.

## Interview questions

Seven questions about past behavior and spending. No hypotheticals.

### Ask

- Tell me about the last time you dealt with [problem]. What happened?
- What did you try? What did you buy, download, or search for?
- What did that cost you, in money or time?
- What was frustrating about the thing you tried?
- If it had worked perfectly, what would have been different the next day?
- Who else do you know who deals with this?
- Can I show you what I am making and get your honest reaction?

### Do not ask

- Would you buy this? (People say yes to be kind.)
- How much would you pay? (Ask what they have paid.)
- Do you like the name? (Irrelevant until it sells.)

### Record

- Exact phrases, not summaries.
- Any mention of money spent.
- The emotion in the story: relief, embarrassment, anger.

## Pre-sell framework

How to ask for money before the product exists, honestly.

### The message (under 120 words)

- What you are making and who it is for, in the customer's words.
- What is inside, as 3-5 concrete deliverables.
- That it is not built yet and the date it will be delivered.
- The price and that pre-orders get it at that price.
- One line on refunds if it does not ship or does not fit.

### Where to send it

- People you interviewed.
- Your list or followers, once.
- Communities where you already contribute, only if rules allow and you ask the moderators.

### Reading the result

- Anyone paying is a GREEN signal on its own.
- 'Let me know when it is out' is polite interest, not demand.
- Silence from 20+ qualified people is a RED signal.