How to Validate Disruptive Ideas That People Don't Search For

Disruptive ideas often solve problems people don't know they have. The iPhone wasn't validated by search volume for “touchscreen smartphone.” DemandSonar's “Disruption Validator” instead measures the dissatisfaction with current solutions and the “imagination gap”, whether people are expressing frustration without knowing a better way is possible. For “car ownership subscription for city dwellers,” search was low but dissatisfaction with car ownership and ride-sharing was high. The Disruption Validator gave it a 74 “Potential Energy” score. The founder launched, and demand materialized as awareness grew. Some validation requires measuring the depth of pain, not the volume of search. [Validate your disruptive idea →]