Staring at a blank survey builder is the writer's block of the startup world.
You know you need to validate your idea, but asking the wrong questions leads to bad data. If you ask, "Would you buy this?" people will lie to be nice. If you ask, "How much would you pay?" they will lowball you.
To get the truth, you need to ask about past behaviors and current pain.
Here is the exact question set we use at SegmentOS to help founders validate SaaS ideas. Copy, paste, and launch.
The "Problem Discovery" Questions
Don't mention your product yet. Focus on their pain.
1. "What is the hardest part about [Task X]?"
Type: Open-ended.
Goal: To get "Voice of Customer" data for your marketing copy.
2. "How are you currently solving this problem?"
Options: Excel / Competitor X / Hiring a Freelancer / I just ignore it.
Goal: To identify your actual competition. (Hint: It’s usually Excel).
3. "When was the last time you tried to solve this problem?"
Options: Today / Last Week / Last Month / Never.
Goal: If they haven't tried to solve it recently, it’s not a burning problem.
The "Solution Fit" Questions
Now, introduce your concept.
4. "If you had a magic wand to fix this problem, what is the one thing it would do?"
Goal: Feature prioritization.
5. "How disappointed would you be if you could no longer use [Competitor/Current Solution]?"
Goal: To gauge how "sticky" the current market leader is.
6. [Show Concept Image] "What is the most unclear or confusing part of this concept?"
Goal: To fix your messaging before you write code.
Everything a research team does. Without the research team.
With SegmentOS you can build the study, reach a verified audience, and get data you can actually trust. End to end, no research background required.
Data quality
Every study runs through device fingerprinting, speeding detection, attention checks, and screener disqualification.
The "Willingness to Pay" Questions
7. "Have you ever paid for a solution to this specific problem before?"
Goal: To verify budget. If they’ve never paid, they likely never will.
8. "At what price would this product feel 'expensive' but still worth buying?"
Goal: To anchor your pricing tier (Based on the Van Westendorp model).
The "Audience Fit" Questions
9. "Which of the following best describes your role?"
Goal: To ensure you are talking to the Decision Maker, not just a User.
Link: Make sure you target the right people. Read B2C vs. B2B Validation: Finding Your Audience.
10. "If we built this, would you be willing to join a 20-minute feedback call?"
Goal: To collect leads (email capture).
Ready to launch? You don't need to build this from scratch. These templates are available in SegmentOS. Start your validation survey today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many questions should a validation survey have?
We recommend keeping it between 10 to 15 questions. If a survey takes longer than 5 minutes to complete, abandonment rates skyrocket, and data quality drops as respondents rush to finish.
Should I ask users how much they would pay?
Never ask "How much would you pay?" directly, as users will lowball you. Instead, use the Van Westendorp method (asking about price thresholds) to find a psychological range.
Can I use these questions for both B2B and B2C products?
The core questions work for both, but the audience targeting must change. For B2B, you must screen for job title and industry. For B2C, you screen for interests and demographics.
What if I don't have an email list to send this survey to?
You don't need an existing list. You can use a market research panel provider like SegmentOS to recruit targeted respondents who match your customer profile instantly.
What is the most important question on this list?
The "disappointment" question ("How disappointed would you be if this solution didn't exist?"). This is the gold standard metric for measuring Product-Market Fit.
