Pretotyping is a way to find out whether people want an idea before you spend the time, budget, and momentum to build it. Start with the method, then choose the right experiment for your team.
Origin
Created at Google
Credibility
Taught at Stanford
Used by
50+ enterprises
Method hub
Definition, methods, examples, templates, training, and the original book.
One path explains what pretotyping is. The other shows the 10 patterns I use most. Together they give you the foundation for testing a business idea before anyone builds the wrong thing.
The overview~10 min read
The method, where it came from, and why it works inside enterprises. Created at Google by Alberto Savoia, refined at Stanford, and practical enough to survive a procurement cycle.
Includes worked examplesRead →
The 10 methods~15 min read
The 10 patterns that cover most of what an enterprise team needs to test. Each one has a definition, a worked example, and a use-when guide.
10 patterns · decision guideRead →
Pretotyping is a way to test whether people want an idea before you build it. Instead of asking for opinions, you create the smallest believable version of the offer and measure what people actually do.
Pretotyping asks
Should we build it?
Prototyping asks
Can we build it?
Agile asks
How do we build it?
For teams
The point is not to run a clever test once. The point is to help a team make better Stop, Pivot, or Proceed decisions before budget and build effort harden around the wrong idea.
Pretotyping is the method. Rapid experimentation is the operating rhythm that helps teams use it repeatedly. The work is valuable when it changes what the team stops, changes, or backs with confidence.
Understand pretotyping, the patterns, and the difference between evidence and opinion.
Explore methods →
Turn a backlog into experiments, evidence thresholds, and decision-ready results.
See services →
Use rapid experimentation to make testing part of how the team chooses what to build.
Read guide →
The shape of every pretotyping experiment I run comes from one of these. The use-when line tells you which is the right one for your hypothesis.
01
Use when · feature demand
02
Use when · service flow
03
Use when · physical fit
04
Use when · AI use cases
05
Use when · category demand
06
Use when · channel fit
07
Use when · regional rollout
08
Use when · pitch fit
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Use when · recurrence
10
Use when · post-validation
Examples from real engagements, the tools I use to scope and run tests, and the book that started the whole thing.
Worked examples 12 examples
Real client examples, small tests, and the moves that helped teams get evidence before they built.
Real engagements Read →
Templates & canvases Free downloads
Lean canvas variants, hypothesis templates, pass-threshold worksheets, and experiment-design checklists.
Tools and worksheets Download →
The book By Alberto Savoia
The original book by Alberto Savoia. The method as he wrote it, free to download.
PDF and ebook Get it →
The course is free. The validator is free. Both are designed to get you to a first real experiment in days, not weeks.
Free online course
The complete $400 course, now free. Five modules and 17 videos covering the law of market failure, Thoughtland vs Dataland, the core methods, Lean Canvas, hypotheses, data, and your first real experiment.
Start course →AI idea validator
Paste an idea. Get a Lean Canvas, an XYZ hypothesis, and a first pretotyping method to try. Free, takes about two minutes.
Open validator →
How pretotyping becomes a repeatable business capability inside teams with real constraints.
Open guide →
Training, sprints, and embedded support for teams that need to turn a backlog into evidence.
See options →
Applying pretotyping to AI use-case selection before the team spends time, budget, or model effort.
Read primer →
Newsletter · fortnightly
Things I am learning from inside the companies I work with. Short, honest, and never a pitch.
Bring one idea from your backlog. In 20 minutes, we will work out whether the method fits the problem you are working on.