Pre-Launch Validation

Pre-launch validation is the practice of testing a product, feature, or design with real or synthetic users before it goes live confirming that it works as intended, meets user expectations, and doesn't introduce new friction before it reaches the full user base.

The cost of fixing a problem scales with how late it's discovered. A usability issue caught during pre-launch validation costs a design change and maybe a day of development work. The same issue was discovered after launch, including support volume, user frustration, potential churn, and an engineering sprint to fix something that was already deployed. Pre-launch validation exists to shift discovery as far left as possible.

Pre-launch validation covers a range of research types depending on what's being tested and how much time is available. For a major new feature, it might involve multiple rounds of moderated sessions with target users working through realistic tasks. For a smaller change, it might be a quick unmoderated test with five participants checking whether the updated flow still makes sense. The method should match the risk; the higher the stakes of getting it wrong, the more thorough the validation.

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