How many users does it take to validate a product?
When you're a first-time founder/maker, and you're the only person using your own product, you probably overlook important things. That's why you need to test the product with as many people as possible.
The problem is that time is limited. You have to decide not only how many people will test it, but also who those people should be.
Yesterday, I launched my Chrome extension for the first time publicly, and my goal is to get feedback from at least 20 testers.
People either describe their experience in writing or I watch them use the product during a call.
My testing group consists of:
Developers and UX/UI designers – people with experience who understand common patterns and expected behavior.
People who have the problem the tool solves – my potential users.
If both groups point out the same issue or suggest the same improvement, it almost always becomes a top priority in the roadmap.
What makes feedback relevant to you?
The number of testers?
The mix of respondents?
Or the way the feedback is collected?
Finding: Developers were able to give me detailed and more accurate feedback than users itself. Developers spotted many things, recommended things while user said: It's okay. :D
Replies
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@evertmar I wrote to you on LinkedIn.
Love this question — it's something I wrestled with while building my party game (Salad Bowl Game). Here's what I learned:
For me, validation wasn't about a specific number — it was about patterns:
🔹 3+ people independently suggest the same feature without being prompted = real need
🔹 Someone actually uses it at a party (not just "cool idea, I'll try later") = product-market fit signal
🔹 They come back a second time on their own = retention validation
I think the magic number is less about quantity and more about diversity of users. 10 strangers who found you organically tell you way more than 100 friends you asked to test it.
Also: if you're the only one using your own product daily, that's actually not nothing! It means YOU have the problem you're solving. The question is whether others share that same problem.
What's been your experience with early user feedback vs. actual usage data?
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@youliqn Thank you for encouriging words, I think that the problem is bigger than other people think :) I can see many people complaining on social media :)