Most busineses strategies are just expensive hallucinations that survive because nobody bothered to check the data.

I’ve listed 50 specific decision points where running a virtual focus group is the difference between a record-breaking launch and a total flop.

Stop arguing in the boardroom and use this checklist to let your customer clones build the product for you.

I. Product Strategy & Ideation

Feedback at the "Napkin Phase"

1. Problem Validation: Confirming that the specific pain point you intend to solve is actually a frustration for the user.

2. Competitor Gap Analysis: Asking users specifically what features they wish your competitors had but don't.

3. Blue Sky Brainstorming: Asking users to dream up features without budget constraints to gauge their ultimate desires.

4. Roadmap Prioritization: Letting users rank your planned features for the next quarter in order of personal importance.

5. Pivot Testing: Gauging reaction to a hypothetical major shift in business direction before investing resources.

6. Persona Verification: Asking users if the "customer avatar" you built internally actually resonates with their self-identity.

7. Ethical Boundary Check: Determining if a potential new use of data feels "creepy" or helpful to the user.

II. User Experience (UX) & Design

Feedback on the "Look and Feel"

8. Navigation Logic: Testing if users intuitively look in the "right" place for specific settings or tools.

9. Iconography Interpretation: Checking if a specific icon conveys the intended meaning (e.g., does a gear icon mean "settings" or "manufacturing"?).

10. Color Psychology: Asking how a specific color palette makes the user feel (e.g., trustworthy vs. urgent).

11. Button Placement: Determining the most ergonomic and noticeable location for primary call-to-action buttons.

12. Typography Readability: Verifying that font sizes and styles are legible across different devices and eye-sights.

13. Dark Mode Implementation: Checking if the inverted color scheme maintains hierarchy and reduces eye strain effectively.

14. Loading State Entertainment: Asking if the loading animation or skeleton screens reduce the frustration of waiting.

15. Error Message Tone: Determining if error notifications feel helpful and empathetic rather than blaming and robotic.

16. Gesture Controls: validating if swipes, pinches, and long-presses feel natural for the specific action.

17. Accessibility Audits: Asking users with disabilities if screen readers or high-contrast modes are actually functional.

III. Content, Marketing & Copy

Feedback on "What we say"

18. Value Prop Clarity: Testing if the user understands exactly what the product does within 5 seconds of landing on the homepage.

19. Tone of Voice: Gauging if the brand voice sounds professional, friendly, cheeky, or annoying.

20. Headline A/B Testing: Asking which email subject line or blog title creates the most curiosity.

21. Jargon Check: Identifying internal industry terms in public copy that confuse the average user.

22. Content Relevance: Asking if the blog posts or newsletters being sent are actually interesting or just noise.

23. Ad Creative Resonance: Showing users ad drafts to see which imagery stops them from scrolling.

24. Social Proof Selection: Asking which customer testimonials or case studies seem the most authentic and convincing.

25. Video Pacing: Determining if an explainer video is moving too fast or explaining the obvious too slowly.

IV. Sales & Pricing

Feedback on the "Exchange of Value"

26. Pricing Tier Logic: Checking if the differentiation between "Basic" and "Pro" plans makes logical sense to the buyer.

27. Perceived Value: Asking users what they think the product should cost before revealing the price.

28. Checkout Friction: Identifying the exact moment in the payment flow where the user feels hesitation.

29. Contract Intelligibility: Asking if the Terms of Service are understandable or terrifyingly complex.

30. Upsell Timing: Determining if a post-purchase offer feels like a helpful addition or a cash grab.

31. Demo Relevance: Asking prospects if the sales demo covered their specific use cases or was just a generic script.

32. Currency/Localization: Verifying if the pricing format and payment options match local expectations.

V. Technical Performance & Logic

Feedback on "How it works"

33. Search Algorithm Relevance: Asking if the auto-complete suggestions and search results match the user's intent.

34. Notification Frequency: Tuning the exact number of push notifications allowed before the user disables them.

35. Algorithm "Surprise": Checking if recommendation engines (like music or movies) are introducing enough novelty.

36. Battery/Resource Usage: Asking mobile users if they feel the app is draining their battery too quickly.

37. Offline Behavior: Verifying if the app behaves gracefully and usefully when the internet connection drops.

38. Integration Priorities: Asking which other software tools the user desperately needs your product to "talk" to.

VI. Customer Service & Operations

Feedback on "Support and Logistics"

39. FAQ Usefulness: Asking if a help center article actually solved the problem or just described it.

40. Chatbot Personality: Determining if the AI support bot feels helpful or like a barrier to reaching a human.

41. Hold Music Selection: Asking if the phone wait music is calming or anxiety-inducing.

42. Packaging Experience: (For physical goods) Asking if the unboxing felt premium and if the waste was manageable.

43. Delivery Updates: checking if the SMS updates regarding shipping were too frequent, too scarce, or just right.

44. Return Policy Fairness: Asking if the steps required to return an item feel reasonable or punitive.

VII. Retention & Community

Feedback on "Staying Power"

45. Feature Deprecation: Asking users how upset they would be if a specific, rarely used feature was removed.

46. Community Guidelines: Checking if the rules of the user forum feel safe without being overly restrictive.

47. Gamification Incentives: Asking if badges and points actually motivate usage or feel childish.

48. Churn Autopsy: Asking departing users for the real, unfiltered reason they are cancelling.

49. Reactivation Triggers: Asking inactive users exactly what offer or feature update would bring them back.

50. Merchandise Design: Asking loyal superfans what kind of branded swag they would actually wear in public.

The core takeaway is that every single feature, piece of copy, or UX element represents a micro-decision that your customer is uniquely qualified to make. Stop viewing feedback as a quarterly chore and start integrating it as the ultimate, continuous business safety net.