A notebook or document, a small idea, and access to an approved AI tool if you choose to use one. Use fictional or permitted material. Follow the agenda at your pace; the times are planning estimates.
Separate evidence from excitement
Write who the idea helps, what happens today, and why you think the problem matters. Label each statement as evidence or assumption.
Practice example
Practice idea: a service that organizes family photos. Do you know people struggle with sorting, choosing, printing, or all three?
Create an evidence-and-assumptions table with source notes.
Ask for the strongest challenge
Give AI the table and ask for alternative explanations, weak assumptions, and questions to investigate. Do not ask for invented customer interviews.
Practice example
Prompt: What would have to be true for this idea to work? Which assumption should I test first? Do not invent demand or market data.
Select one risky assumption and five neutral interview questions.
Design a small test
Choose a low-cost method, the people you need to learn from, the information to collect, and the decision you will make afterward.
Practice example
For photo organization, talk to people about the last time they tried to make an album before proposing your service.
Write a one-week experiment with a cost limit and a continue/change/stop decision rule.
Make a realistic next-step plan
Ask AI to critique the plan for missing dependencies and avoidable complexity. Review its suggestions and choose the next three actions yourself.
Practice example
No business commitment is made by this exercise. If a test involves payments or personal photos, define the appropriate handling before running it.
Leave with three actions, owners, timing, and a clear evidence question.
Finish with a useful reflection
What did you make? What can you explain? What did you verify, and what remains uncertain? Keep your work and try the process again on a new example.