Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a testable prediction about how a change will affect user behavior or business outcomes. It transforms assumptions into explicit statements that can be validated or invalidated through experimentation. Well-formed hypotheses prevent teams from building features based on untested beliefs and create shared understanding of what success looks like.

When to Use

• After problem framing, before committing to a solution
• When designing experiments or A/B tests
• When team members have differing assumptions about user behavior
• Before investing significant engineering resources in a feature
• When pivoting direction and need to validate the new approach

Instructions

When asked to create a hypothesis, follow these steps:

1. State the Belief Articulate what you believe will happen. Use the structured format: "We believe that [action/change] for [target user] will [expected outcome]." Be specific about the intervention . vague hypotheses can't be tested.