Ideate

Map assumptions

Find what has to be true for the concept to work, and what your research already says about it.

How to do it

1. List what must be true about the people, the build and the business.
2. Check each against your research.
3. Test first the ones the concept fails without and nothing supports.
4. Design the cheapest test that could prove each one wrong.

Tip. Add your research as inputs. Assumptions it already answers move out of the way, and ones it contradicts get flagged before you build.

What you need

Start from:

• Concept

It is better with: Persona, Insight, Prototype, Test report, Jobs to be done, Opportunity tree, Interview notes, Survey results or Analytics.

What you get: Assumption map

An assumption map template has these sections:

• Test first
• Backed by research
• At odds with research
• Experiments

Where it fits

• Develop (Double Diamond): Explore many answers, then pick the strongest.

Usually comes after

• Ideate concepts
• Vary the concept

What to do next

• Write an interview script
• Write a readout

Templates that use it

• Evaluative study: Does this design work for the people who will use it?
• Double Diamond: A whole project, from understanding a problem to a tested answer.
• Assumption-led (Lean UX): You already have an idea. What could sink it?
• Continuous discovery: A product team learning every week towards one outcome.
• Design Sprint: Five days from a big question to a prototype tested with real people.