Ask HN: Would you pay for video prototype validation before building?

[zhongyongxu]

I'm a developer who's wasted months building features nobody wanted.

Now I'm exploring a service: create 3-minute video prototypes to validate demand before writing code, then run targeted surveys.

The pitch: $500-1000 and 3-5 days to avoid a $20k failed MVP.

I don't have a product yet—just talked to 2 devs who said they'd use it.

Questions: 1. How do you validate features today? 2. Would you trust "fake" video prototype data? 3. What would make you actually pay for this?

Looking for brutal honesty before I build anything.

[jcalloway_dev]

Good instinct to ask before building — you're already doing the thing you're selling.

On your questions:

1. Figma clickthroughs + a Loom walkthrough sent to 10-15 target users. Messy but cheap.

2. "Fake" video data is fine if you're measuring the right thing. Click-through on a landing page beats survey intent every time. People lie to be nice; clicks don't.

3. Honest answer: I'd pay if you could show me a case where the video said "no" and saved someone real money. One solid example beats a hundred testimonials.

Bigger concern — 2 devs saying they'd use it isn't validation, it's encouragement. Before you build anything, I'd run your own video prototype of this service and see if strangers convert. Meta, but you'd learn fast.

What's the actual customer you're picturing — solo devs, or teams with some budget?

[zhongyongxu]

Thanks for the brutal honesty — exactly what I needed.

Made a video demonstrating the method — comparing two paths: https://youtu.be/C2bAB-s-lb4

Still need that "video said no, saved $20k" real case. Running 3 free pilots now to get it.

48h in: 12 comments, 3 DMs, 0 "shut up and take my money" yet. Learning that method demos get "interesting" but case studies get buyers.

Know anyone with a feature they're debating? First validation is free in exchange for case study rights.

Re: solo vs seed — still torn. Who actually acts on validation data vs just wants reassurance?

[XCSme]

Strong agree on clicks over surveys. Once I move from a video prototype to a live MVP, the real signal comes from watching what people actually do.

I built UXWizz mainly for this. Self-hosted heatmaps and recordings make it pretty obvious where people get confused or drop off, and you don’t have to rely on polite feedback [0].

[0] https://www.uxwizz.com

[zhongyongxu]

Strong agree — clicks > surveys, and behavior > opinions.

The gap I'm trying to fill: before you have the live MVP (and before you invest in heatmaps/recording infrastructure), how do you know which workflow is worth building?

Video prototypes are the "pre-MVP" behavior test — show the experience, see if they click "I'd pay for this" vs just "interesting."

Curious: When building UXWizz, did you validate the "self-hosted vs cloud" decision with video prototypes, or did you ship and learn from early user behavior?

Feels like your tool captures the truth post-launch, mine tries to predict it pre-launch. Complementary approaches.

[vunderba]

Trust is your biggest hurdle. For me, you'd have to answer several questions before I'd be comfortable plunking down 1000 USD.

1. Who are you?

2. Are you an established expert in any of the overlapping fields? (video, product demos, outreach, sales, SEO, etc)

3. How do I know you're not just throwing together an animated figma and using bots to simulate survey answers?

[zhongyongxu]

Great questions—you're right to ask.

1. Who am I: jone, ex-tplink engineer, spent 3 months building a feature that got 0 sales. Painful lesson. Now trying to solve that for others.

2. Expertise: Not an expert in video/sales. That's why I'm talking to people like you first instead of building a platform. Currently learning by doing—first 3 validations are free in exchange for brutal feedback.

3. Fraud: Valid concern. My current process: - Typeform/Google Forms (you own the raw data) - You pick the channels (your Twitter, your Reddit, your email list) - I screen-record every response coming in - Deliverable: raw CSV + my analysis, not just a "trust me" PDF

   You're right that "public" without transparency is worthless. 
   What would make you trust the data?

[zhongyongxu]

Update: made a video demonstrating the method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bAB-s-lb4

48h data: 12 comments across platforms, 3 DMs, still need that "video said no" case study.