How to get useful feedback on a SaaS product without an audience

Start with a decision, not a request for opinions

Write down the decision you need to make: “Can a new visitor understand the offer?”, “Can an accountant finish the first import?”, or “Which of these two products would a potential buyer try first?” Each needs a different kind of evidence. If you ask everyone “What do you think of my SaaS?”, you will receive answers that are hard to act on.

Find people who have the problem

Start with current trial users, people who abandoned onboarding, or prospects who recently tried another solution. A small relevant group is more informative than a large group of other founders who would never buy your product. If you have no users, recruit in a community where the problem is discussed and ask permission to learn about the workflow before sharing your link. Respect that community’s posting rules.

Screen for experience rather than enthusiasm. “When did you last do this task, and what did you use?” is more useful than “Would you use my app?” This follows Nielsen Norman Group’s guidance on recruiting relevant participants and asking about past behaviour.

Use three signals for three different questions

Interviews report what people remember and say; observing use reveals behaviour. Combining them helps you distinguish a persuasive pitch from a product that works in the buyer’s workflow. NN/g explains the strengths and limits of interviews.

Ask questions that lead to a next action

• “Show me how you do this today.”
• “What were you trying to achieve at this step?”
• “Where did you expect to go next?”
• “What would you have to trust before using this at work?”
• “Which alternative did you last consider, and why?”

Let the person attempt the task before you explain the screen. Avoid selling while they are trying it. Record the observed difficulty separately from their suggested fix: users are often excellent at showing you a problem, while the best solution still needs design work.

How a Founder Battle verdict fits

A Founder Battle challenge puts two public products side by side. Arena Votes from people who discover the battle inside the Arena determine a valid result. Votes arriving through a founder’s shared link are displayed separately as Support Votes; they do not decide the winner or move the rank. Structured verdict reasons can suggest what to investigate next.

For example, in the public Lyntiq AI vs ProposalForge AI battle, the recorded Arena score was 5–2 for Lyntiq AI, while ProposalForge AI had three Support Votes. The result followed the Arena score. That demonstrates how the two vote sources are separated; seven Arena choices are not proof that one product is better for every buyer.

Judge-pool composition, small samples, presentation quality, and the people who choose to participate can still affect a verdict. Treat a battle as a prompt for follow-up: Which promise was clearer? Which task should you test with your target users? What needs changing before a rematch?

Turn feedback into one decision

After each session, note the person’s role, the task, what you observed, their own words, and one possible change. Group repeated problems by task rather than counting positive comments. Choose one change you can verify with another user. If feedback conflicts, check whether the people had different jobs or levels of experience.

When you have a public product ready for a direct comparison, submit it to Founder Battle. Submitting and challenging are free. A paid boost or sponsorship can buy labelled exposure, never votes, an outcome, or rank.