LEARNING IS THE CRUCIAL BASIS OF MEASURING PROGRESS FOR STARTUPS.

Delaying the launch of a new product due to fear denies many Startups the opportunity of gaining valuable feedback.

Some Startups go the extra length of bringing in customers into their offices for in-person interviews and usability tests. Customers reveal what they truly want through their action or inaction, as Startups strive to make their products better. Empirical data from this experimentation often prompts a change in assumptions, product-design and strategic analysis of the market. This change is often termed as a Pivot, a strategic departure from the current state of things, to invite in better metrics.

Learning is the crucial basis of measuring progress for Startups. All efforts not geared towards learning what customers really want should be discarded. This learning is mostly referred to as Validated Learning, learning backed by empirical data generated by real customers.

Startups put their theories and assumptions to test through exposing subsequent versions of their product to their customers. Superior or inferior results, revealed by empirical data generated by the customers, either disproves or validates their assumptions.

Through discovering what customers really want and adjusting their products and strategies to meet those desires, Startups attract success.