Getting Started
Purpose: A practical, outcome-focused guide for product innovation teams
Version: 1.0.0
Audience: Product Managers, Developers, and Innovation Teams
Welcome
This guide helps you systematically validate ideas, build MVPs, and launch products that deliver real value. Every chapter is designed for action—you'll create real artifacts, not just read concepts.
Choose Your Path
Where are you in your innovation journey?
Validating an Idea? → Start with "Decide What to Build"
Why validation matters: Most product failures happen because we build something nobody wants. The Decide section helps you validate your idea before investing time and resources in building.
What you'll do: Use Swift CNS (an AI-powered validation platform) to systematically test your assumptions through experiments, document learnings, and make data-driven go/no-go decisions.
Time commitment: 2-4 weeks for thorough validation
Prerequisites:
Swift CNS account at app.dev.swiftcns.ai
Initial idea or problem hypothesis
Access to potential users for experiments
Start here: Decide What to Build
💡 Tip: Even if you're eager to build, spending 2-4 weeks validating can save months of wasted effort. The Decide section uses Swift CNS to make validation systematic and efficient.
Ready to Build? → Start with "Build the MVP"
When to use: You have a validated idea (completed Decide section) or you're building something with clear requirements.
What you'll do: Plan your MVP, set up development tools (Cursor IDE), build features collaboratively with AI assistance, and deploy to Firebase.
Time commitment: 4-8 weeks depending on complexity
Prerequisites:
Validated hypothesis or clear requirements
Cursor IDE installed
Firebase account
Start here: Build the MVP
Have an MVP? → Start with "Launch & Iterate (Coming Soon)"
When to use: You have a working MVP and need to get it in front of users, gather feedback, and iterate.
What you'll do: Prepare your ICP, develop messaging and channel strategies, build your website, launch private beta, run experiments, and synthesize insights.
Time commitment: Ongoing iteration cycles
Prerequisites:
Working MVP
Deployment infrastructure ready
Start here: Launch & Iterate (Coming Soon)
Guide Structure
This guide follows a three-phase journey:
Decide What to Build (Swift CNS)
├─ 01 — Idea / Problem
├─ 02 — Identify Critical Assumptions
├─ 03 — Form Testable Hypotheses
├─ 04 — Design & Run Experiments
├─ 05 — Extract Key Learnings
└─ 06 — Synthesize Insights → Decision
↓
Build the MVP (Cursor, UX Pilot, Firebase)
├─ 05 — Planning
├─ 06 — Setup
├─ 08 — Build Features
└─ 09 — Deploy
↓
Launch & Iterate (Coming Soon) (Swift CNS)
├─ 01 — Prepare ICP
├─ 02 — Develop Messaging Strategy
├─ 03 — Design Channel Strategy
├─ 04 — Build Website V1
├─ 05 — Setup Tool Stack
├─ 06 — Launch Private Beta
├─ 07 — Run Experiments
├─ 08 — Synthesize Insights
└─ 09 — Exit to Public BetaSee the Dependency Map for detailed chapter relationships and learning paths.
Understanding the DECIDE Section
Why validation before building is critical:
Most teams jump straight to building, only to discover later that:
Users don't actually have the problem you thought they had
The solution doesn't fit their workflow
They won't pay for it
The market isn't ready
The Decide What to Build section uses Swift CNS to help you avoid these pitfalls by:
Articulating the problem clearly - Use Swift CNS chat to refine your idea and value proposition
Identifying critical assumptions - Swift CNS AI helps you find what must be true for success
Forming testable hypotheses - Convert assumptions into measurable statements
Designing experiments - Create structured tests to validate your hypotheses
Extracting learnings - Document insights in Swift CNS Learning Cards
Making decisions - Use Swift CNS Insights to synthesize everything into a go/no-go decision
The Swift CNS Workflow:
Start New Chat - Begin AI-guided conversation about your idea in Swift CNS
Idea Analysis - Swift CNS AI analyzes your idea and asks clarifying questions
Assumptions Mapping - AI helps identify critical assumptions that must be true
Experiment Design - AI guides you to create structured experiments
Learning Cards - Document insights and learnings from experiments in Swift CNS
Insights - View aggregated insights in Swift CNS to make go/no-go decisions
All validation work happens within Swift CNS, providing a systematic, AI-guided approach to decision-making.
⚠️ Important: The Decide chapters (01-06) must be done sequentially. Each builds on the previous one. Swift CNS AI guides you through the entire process.
Ready to validate? Set up Swift CNS and start: Decide What to Build
💡 Tip: You don't need all tools upfront. Set them up as you reach each section. Detailed setup instructions are provided in the relevant chapters.
Chapter Structure
Every chapter includes:
Learning Outcomes - What you'll achieve
Jobs-to-Be-Done - Context for when to use it
Inputs - What you need before starting
Activities - Step-by-step guidance
Apply It Now - Interactive task
Artifacts - What you'll create
Templates - Reusable structures
Examples - Worked examples
Checklist - Quick reference
Self-Assessment - Verify understanding
Key Principles
This guide follows these core principles:
Start with outcomes: Every chapter defines measurable learning outcomes
Architect the content: Clear structure with dependency mapping
Design for doing: Templates, examples, checklists, and self-assessments
Adopt a house style: Consistent voice, glossary, and formatting
Build interaction: Quizzes, decision trees, and "Apply It Now" tasks
What You'll Create
As you work through this guide, you'll produce:
Problem statements and value propositions
Hypothesis canvases and experiment plans
PRDs and technical specifications
MVP architectures and thin vertical implementations
Launch plans and feedback loops
Resources
Dependency Map - Chapter relationships and learning paths
Glossary - Key terms and definitions
Cadence - Establishing work rhythms
Style Guide - Voice, formatting, and callout standards
Quick Reference
Need to validate an idea? → Decide What to Build Ready to build? → Build the MVP Have an MVP to launch? → Launch & Iterate (Coming Soon) Want templates only? → Go directly to chapter Templates Want examples only? → Go directly to chapter Examples
Next Steps
Choose your path above based on where you are in your journey
Set up required tools for your chosen section
Start with the first chapter in your chosen section
Follow chapters sequentially (especially in Decide section)
Most common starting point: If you have an idea, start with Decide What to Build to validate it before building.
💡 Tip: Bookmark the Dependency Map for quick navigation 📝 Note: You can always return to this section if you need to reorient yourself
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