fake door test
Also called: fake door, fake-door test
A cheap demand test: show a button, page or price for something that does not exist yet and count how many people try to use or buy it before deciding to build it.
A fake door test measures demand for something before it exists: you show a button, a menu item, a pricing option or a landing page for a feature or product that hasn't been built, and count how many people try to use it. Behind the "door" is an honest message: it's coming, would you like to be told when it's ready or take part in shaping it?
It's one of the cheapest tests available, because the cost is a button and a page instead of weeks of development. It works best for questions of the kind "would people reach for this?" in a product or on a site that already has traffic: which of two features to build next, whether a new plan would attract anyone, or whether a new audience responds to a message at all.
A click is a weak signal compared with money. People click out of curiosity, and nobody has yet had to change a habit or pay. So use fake doors to rank ideas and to find people to talk to, then confirm the winners with stronger evidence: conversations, a pre-sale or a paid pilot. And always tell users the truth on the other side of the door; a test that feels like a trick costs trust you'll need later.
Example
Online booking sits on GarageDesk's "later" list. Suppose the founders want to know how many of their 64 shops would actually use it, so they add a "Online booking (coming soon)" item to the shop's menu. Clicking it opens a short note: booking isn't ready yet; leave your name if you want to try it first.
In two weeks 18 of the 64 shops click (about 28%) and 11 leave their names (about 17%). That doesn't prove anyone will pay more for booking, but it gives Oscar 11 owners to call, and a number to compare with the next idea on the list.
Common mistakes
- Treating clicks as demand. Curiosity is cheap; confirm with conversations or money.
- Deceiving users. Say clearly on the other side that it isn't built yet.
- Running it with too little traffic. Ten visitors can't tell you anything; wait for enough people or use another test.
- Leaving the door up for months. Take it down when the test ends, and tell the people who signed up what you decided.