Solution validation: will it fit the customer's workday?

Alex Tutor

Early February. Five shops have prepaid 17,400 UAH for a promise: regulars who forgot their service come back. Now Nina has to turn that promise into something that works on a busy Tuesday morning.

Nina

I know what to build. The shop enters a car, we send a message when its next service is due. Two weeks of work.

You

Isn't that exactly what they paid for?

Alex Tutor

They paid for a result: cars coming back. "Send reminders" is a solution, a general answer to "how could this work better?" A product is the specific thing someone at reception uses with a customer standing in front of them.

A right solution can still fail as a product: if nobody has a moment in the day to feed it data, it sends nothing.

Alex Tutor

Question 1

Which statement is a product rather than a solution?

Choose one answerRemind regulars when their next service is dueHelp shops bring back customers they forgot aboutAt hand-over the administrator types the mileage into a phone form; 30 days before the next service a Viber message goes out under the shop's nameUse software instead of a paper notebook

You

How do you find that free moment?

Alex Tutor

Ask about the day, not about features. "Walk me through what happens when a car arrives and when it leaves. Who writes what down, and where?"

Oscar

I asked Martha at Greg's shop. The mileage is known exactly once: at hand-over, when she writes the invoice at the counter, usually on her phone, with the car owner waiting.

Nina

I pictured Greg entering his clients once a week. He doesn't even know the mileage of half the cars.

Alex Tutor

So the person who pays, Greg, isn't the one who feeds the system. Martha is. If one car takes her more than a few seconds at the counter, it won't get entered, and there will be nothing to remind about.

Oscar

One more thing: the message has to come under the shop's name. Car owners trust their mechanic and ignore an unknown sender.

Alex Tutor

Question 2

Which questions help check whether a solution fits a shop's working day? Choose all that apply.

Choose all that apply"What happens at the counter when a car is handed back?""Would you like a reminder feature?""Who writes down the mileage, and where?""How do you let regulars know it's time for a service today?""How much would you pay for an app with ten features?"

Alex Tutor

Second question: what does the solution replace, and what does that cost? Every problem already has some answer, even a clumsy one.

You

At Dennis's shop it's his niece with a notebook. 4,000 UAH a month.

Alex Tutor

Elsewhere it's Viber messages typed by hand, a sticker on the windscreen with the next service mileage, or nothing at all. That's the competitive alternative GarageDesk has to beat on time, money and hassle.

Put three candidates side by side: automatic reminders, a monthly list of due cars for the shop to call, and better stickers. Discuss each with shops before any code.

Alex Tutor

Question 3

Match each way of bringing regulars back with its weak spot.

Pick an answer for each row. Choosing an answer that is already used moves it to this row.

A niece calling regulars from a notebook
Choose an answer
A sticker with the next service mileage
Choose an answer
A monthly list of due cars for the shop to call
Choose an answer
Automatic reminders by SMS or Viber
Choose an answer

Alex Tutor

Third question: what new problems could the solution create? A product that fixes one thing and breaks two others gets switched off.

Oscar

Paul hates shops that spam him. And Greg asked about sold cars: the new owner would get a message about someone else's service.

Nina

And Dennis's niece. If reminders go out on their own, what does she do?

Alex Tutor

Good catch. In a family business, taking away someone's task can hurt more than it saves. Ask Dennis instead of guessing.

You

So checking a solution is a risk check, not a sales pitch.

Alex Tutor

Exactly. That's solution validation: describe what it would do step by step, then listen for "that won't work here, because…". That sentence is worth more than any compliment.

Alex Tutor

Question 4

True or false: Greg decides and pays, so the screen for entering cars should be designed around Greg filling in his client list once a week.

TrueFalse

Nina

After the talks: a car goes in at hand-over from a phone in under ten seconds, reminders by date and mileage go out by SMS or Viber under the shop's name, and one tap stops them for a sold car.

You

And the stickers?

Oscar

Dennis laughed: stickers peel off in the car wash. All five shops chose reminders. He keeps his stickers anyway, and his niece will answer the replies.

Alex Tutor

That's the point: the shops' working day picked the winner, not what Nina enjoys building.

Alex Tutor

Question 5

Put the steps from a solution idea to a product decision in order.

Tap an item, then tap where it should go. You can also drag or use the arrows.

You

Could I try the three questions myself?

Alex Tutor

Take Greg's shop. You know Martha, the counter and the phone. Describe how a reminder is born there and where it goes.

Oscar

And think about who answers when a car owner calls back after the reminder.

Nina

If your description has a step nobody has time for, I want to hear it now, not after launch.

Alex Tutor

Question 6Short answer · AI-checked task

In 3–5 sentences, describe how GarageDesk reminders fit into a day at Greg's shop: who enters what and when, what the reminders replace, one new problem they could create and how to prevent it.

Write your answer and get a score with feedback from our AI reviewer.

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Alex Tutor

Next time: launch is on 3 March. What goes into the first version, and what can stay manual behind the scenes?

Alex Tutor

That’s the lesson. You answered every task — nicely done.

Next lesson: An MVP: sign up, get value, pay