The Flywheel / Research / 04 Pilots

04Research · the last step before Build

Pilots

Simulate each journey with synthetic personas and real people, before anything is built.

The Simulator: cover

The tool for this step

The Simulator

Test the journey before you build it. Find out whether a journey would be valuable, first with synthetic personas, then with real people, before anything is built.

How to use The Simulator →
Download the SimulatorPDF · 3 pages: cover, board, how to use it

What it is

Pilots finds out whether a journey would be valuable before anything is built. It runs each journey as a simulation: first past a panel of synthetic personas built from the real heroes, then past real early adopters, who are shown the journey as a simulation, never a product: “if you went here, and then there, what would you think?”

One question, asked of both: is this journey valuable to you? A journey passes when the panel and the real people agree. When they don't, it goes back to the Map with what was learned. A journey that doesn't pass is a result, not a failure.

How to run it

Step 1Build the panelSynthetic personas from the heroes' words, the trend's language, your imagination and the owner's notes, with behaviour guidelines so they can't simply agree with us.
Step 2Run each journey past themMoment by moment, with a vote and feedback from every persona.
Step 3Show it to real peopleEarly adopters from the Compass, each shown the same simulated journey, each asked the same question.
Step 4Call the verdictBoth agree it's valuable: on to Development. Not yet: back to the Map, with what you learned.

This is the BUILD handoff. Development starts once a journey shows some validation and someone says go; it doesn't have to be perfect.

What you produce

The Simulator: test the journey before you build it. Find out whether a journey would be valuable, first with synthetic personas, then with real people, before anything is built.

Examples

A

The letters, simulated

The panel loved the monthly letter and shrugged at the smuggled one. Real early adopters agreed on the first, and several asked whether they could write back. One journey went on to Development; the question went back to the Map.

Where it goes wrong

  • A panel that only agreesPersonas built from your own hopes will say yes to everything. Build them from real words.
  • Showing a productReal people are shown the journey as a simulation. A demo tests your demo, not the journey.
  • Asking friendsColleagues and friends are kind. Ask the early adopters who are driving the trend.
  • Hiding the noA journey that doesn't pass teaches the Map something. Write it down.

What it hands on

The Sketchbook starts from journeys that passed, and from what the Simulator learned.