Incy TemplatesProduct Idea Assessor
A Copy/Improve/Differentiate classification, a scored read on how strong your evidence is, and a clear next action.
Founders routinely over-invest in ideas that needed more validation, and under-invest in ideas that needed less — because nothing tells them how much scepticism a given idea actually deserves before they start.
When to use it
Use as soon as you can state the idea in a sentence, before you've written a business plan or built anything.
When not to use it
Not a substitute for actually talking to customers — it tells you how much evidence you need, not whether you already have it.
The method
Classify the idea as Copy (a working model applied to a new context), Improve (a specific improvement on an existing, working approach) or Differentiate (asking people to adopt a genuinely new behaviour). Each category carries a different risk profile and needs a different amount of evidence before you commit. Answer four evidence questions — problem evidence, behaviour evidence, differentiation clarity and target specificity — and the assessor combines your classification with those answers into a readiness verdict and a concrete next step.
Ways to use this
Recommended starting point: Product Idea Assessor: the GuideTemplate — Do it yourself
Source
Developed from A Bit Gamey material on testing product ideas before building, including the Copy–Improve–Differentiate classification.