What is Fake Door Testing?
Fake Door Testing (also known as "Painted Door Testing") is a rapid validation method where you create the illusion of a product or feature before actually building it.
You present users with what appears to be a real product or feature, but when they try to access it, they're informed it's not yet available and are asked to join a waitlist.
This approach allows you to measure genuine interest in your idea before investing significant time and resources into development.
How It Works:
Create a realistic-looking landing page or feature option
Drive traffic to your fake door
Capture interest through waitlist signups or other metrics
Analyze results to validate demand before building
Benefits of Fake Door Testing
Cost Savings
Avoid spending development resources on features or products that users don't actually want. Save months of development time by validating ideas early with minimal engineering effort.
Risk Reduction
Test multiple ideas simultaneously with minimal risk. Make data-driven decisions rather than relying on assumptions and increase confidence in product decisions.
Market Validation
Gauge genuine user interest without bias. Identify target audience demographics and test pricing strategies and willingness to pay.
User Feedback
Collect valuable feedback from interested users. Build an email list of potential early adopters and gain insights to refine your product concept.
AI Tools for Rapid Implementation
AI tools have revolutionized fake door testing, making it faster, more cost-effective, and more compelling than ever before. Here's how AI accelerates the process:
Landing Page Creation
Vercel v0
Generate complete landing pages from text prompts in minutes
Video Generation
OpenAI Sora
Create compelling video backgrounds and demos with text prompts
Product Imagery
ChatGPT / Google AI Studio
Generate realistic product mockups and marketing visuals
Waitlist Forms
Form Builders + AI
Create optimized signup forms to capture interested users
Lead Collection
Slack Webhooks
Instantly receive notifications for new signups
Traffic Generation
Facebook Ads + AI
Drive targeted traffic to your fake door test
Vercel v0 for Rapid Landing Pages
Vercel's v0 is an AI-powered development tool that generates production-ready code from natural language descriptions, making it perfect for quickly creating fake door landing pages.
These slides were created using Vercel v0, demonstrating how quickly you can build professional-looking content with AI assistance.
How to Use Vercel v0 for Fake Door Testing
Write a Clear Description
Describe your product concept, target audience, and key features you want to test. Be specific about the purpose of your landing page and what you want to validate.
Generate the Landing Page
Use v0 to create the landing page based on your description. Refine your prompt as needed until you get a design that matches your vision for the product concept.
Customize and Deploy
Make any final adjustments and deploy with a single click through Vercel. Your fake door test will be live on a Vercel subdomain that you can share with potential users.
Add Analytics & Tracking
Integrate analytics to measure user engagement and behavior. Track key metrics like sign-ups, click-through rates, and time spent on page to gauge interest in your concept.
Example Prompt for v0:
"Create a landing page for a mobile app that helps users track and reduce their carbon footprint. Include a hero section with a compelling headline, feature highlights, testimonials, and a waitlist signup form. Use a green and blue color scheme with modern, clean design."
What Makes a Good v0 Prompt:
- ✓Be specific about the productClearly describe what your product does and who it's for
- ✓Mention key page sectionsList the important sections you want to include
- ✓Specify design preferencesMention colors, style, and overall aesthetic
- ✓Include call-to-actionSpecify what user action you want to measure
OpenAI's Sora for Compelling Videos
Sora is OpenAI's text-to-video AI model that generates realistic and creative videos from text descriptions, perfect for creating engaging visual content for your fake door tests.
OpenAI Sora
Generate realistic product demonstration videos without building the actual product.
How to Use Sora for Fake Door Testing
- 1
Create a Product Vision
Define how your product would look in action and what benefits it provides. Consider the key features and use cases you want to demonstrate.
- 2
Generate Video Content
Use Sora to create videos that demonstrate the product concept and use cases. Be specific about the environment, actions, and outcomes in your prompts.
- 3
Integrate with Landing Page
Add the video to your landing page as a background or feature showcase. Position it prominently to capture visitor attention.
- 4
Measure Engagement
Track how video content affects conversion rates and time on page. Compare performance against static images or text-only descriptions.
Example Prompt for Sora
"Create a video showing a person using a smart home app on their phone to control lights, temperature, and security cameras throughout their home. The home should have a modern design with large windows and the video should demonstrate how easily the person can control everything from anywhere in the house."
What Makes a Good Sora Prompt
ChatGPT & Google AI Studio for Product Images
ChatGPT Image Generation
ChatGPT's DALL-E integration allows you to quickly generate product mockups, interfaces, and marketing images.
Best For:
- ✓Quick product mockups
- ✓UI/UX visualizations
- ✓Marketing materials
- ✓Concept illustrations
Example Prompt:
"Create a clean, modern product mockup of a minimalist clothing collection featuring t-shirts, henley shirts, and sweatpants in neutral beige and black colors, arranged neatly on a beige background."
Google AI Studio
Google's Imagen 2 model offers high-quality image generation with excellent brand consistency and photorealistic results.
Best For:
- ✓Photorealistic product renders
- ✓Consistent brand imagery
- ✓Product in use scenarios
- ✓Professional marketing visuals
Example Prompt:
"Create a professional photo of a person wearing a gray hoodie with '/softwear' printed on the chest. The image should have a moody, premium feel with soft lighting and a neutral background to highlight the product."
Tips for Better AI-Generated Product Images:
For UI/Product Mockups:
- •Be specific about device type (phone, laptop, etc.)
- •Mention UI elements you want to see
- •Include color scheme and branding details
- •Describe the perspective and angle
For Marketing Visuals:
- •Describe the environment and lighting
- •Include details about target users
- •Specify the emotional tone
- •Request specific aspect ratios for web/social
Adding Waitlist/Signup Forms
Waitlist forms are essential for fake door testing, allowing you to convert user interest into actionable data and build a list of potential early adopters.
Key Elements to Include:
- ✓Email Collection - Build a list of interested users for future marketing
- ✓Integration Options - Connect with email marketing platforms and CRMs
- ✓Audience Discovery - Gather additional insights from interested users
Recommended Form Builder Tools:
Typeform
Beautiful, conversational forms with advanced logic
Google Forms
Simple, free form builder with easy setup
GetWaitlist.com
Purpose-built for waitlists with referral capabilities
Custom HTML form
Directly in Vercel v0 page
Example Waitlist Form
We'll notify you when we launch. Expected in Q3 2025.
Slack Integration for Real-Time Notifications
Integrating Slack webhooks with your waitlist form allows your team to receive instant notifications when someone shows interest in your product.
Setting Up Slack Webhooks:
- 1
Create a Slack App
Go to api.slack.com and create a new app for your workspace
- 2
Activate Incoming Webhooks
Enable the Incoming Webhooks feature in your app settings
- 3
Create a Webhook URL
Add a new webhook to your workspace and select the channel for notifications
- 4
Connect to Your Form
Integrate the webhook URL with your waitlist form or landing page
Example Webhook Integration Code:
// Example JavaScript function to send form data to Slack webhook
function sendToSlack(formData) {
const webhookUrl = 'https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL';
const message = {
text: '🎉 New Waitlist Signup!',
blocks: [
{
type: 'header',
text: {
type: 'plain_text',
text: '🎉 New Waitlist Signup!',
emoji: true
}
},
{
type: 'section',
fields: [
{
type: 'mrkdwn',
text: `*Email:*\n${formData.email}`
},
{
type: 'mrkdwn',
text: `*Signed Up:*\n${new Date().toLocaleString()}`
}
]
}
]
};
fetch(webhookUrl, {
method: 'POST',
body: JSON.stringify(message)
});
}
Facebook Ads for Traffic Generation
Facebook's ad platform offers powerful targeting capabilities to drive qualified traffic to your fake door test, allowing you to validate your idea with your exact target audience.
Targeting Strategies:
- ✓Demographic Targeting - Age, location, gender, and language
- ✓Interest-Based Targeting - Find users interested in related topics
- ✓Behavioral Targeting - Target users based on purchase behaviors and device usage
- ✓Lookalike Audiences - Target users similar to your existing customers
Budget Optimization:
- ✓Start Small - Begin with $10-20 per day to test different audiences
- ✓Scale Winners - Increase budget for audiences that show interest
- ✓A/B Testing - Test different ad creatives and copy with the same audience
- ✓Use Meta's AI Tools - Leverage Advantage+ campaigns for automated optimization
Ad Campaign Setup for Fake Door Testing:
- 1
Define Your Testing Goal
Set up your campaign with the "Traffic" or "Conversions" objective depending on what you're measuring.
- 2
Create Multiple Ad Sets
Test 3-5 different audience segments to identify which responds best to your concept.
- 3
Craft Compelling Ads
Create ads that clearly communicate your value proposition and encourage clicks.
- 4
Set Up Conversion Tracking
Add the Facebook Pixel to your landing page to track waitlist sign-ups and other interactions.
- 5
Analyze and Iterate
After 3-5 days, evaluate which audiences and ad creatives are performing best and adjust accordingly.
AI for Ad Creatives
AI tools can dramatically speed up the creation of effective ad creatives for your fake door test campaigns, allowing you to test multiple approaches quickly.
AdCreative.ai
Purpose-built AI for creating high-converting ad creatives across platforms.
Meta's AI Tools
Facebook's built-in AI tools to optimize ad creation and delivery.
AI Ad Copy Generation
Generate compelling ad headlines, descriptions, and full campaigns with simple prompts.
Example Prompt for Ad Copy:
"Create 5 compelling Facebook ad headlines and descriptions for a mobile app that helps users track and reduce their carbon footprint. The app's unique selling points are its personalized recommendations, easy tracking of daily activities, and social sharing features. The target audience is environmentally conscious millennials who want to make a difference but need an easy way to do so. Each ad should include a clear call to action to join the waitlist for early access."
Measuring Success of Your Fake Door Test
Key Metrics to Track
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of users who clicked on your fake door after seeing it.
How to interpret: A high CTR indicates that your concept and messaging are compelling. Compare against industry benchmarks (typically 1-2% for Facebook ads).
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who signed up for your waitlist.
How to interpret: A high conversion rate (10%+) suggests strong interest in your concept. Low rates may indicate issues with your value proposition or form design.
Cost Per Lead (CPL)
The average cost to acquire one waitlist signup.
How to interpret: Compare this to your expected customer lifetime value. A low CPL relative to potential revenue indicates good profit potential.
Audience Segments Performance
How different demographic groups respond to your concept.
How to interpret: Identify which audience segments show the highest interest. This helps refine your target market for the actual product launch.
Setting Success Thresholds
Before running your fake door test, define clear metrics that would indicate sufficient interest to proceed with development:
Minimum Viable Audience
Set a target number of waitlist signups that would constitute a large enough initial user base.
Maximum Acquisition Cost
Determine the highest CPL you're willing to accept based on your business model.
Engagement Threshold
Define the minimum engagement metrics (CTR, time on page) that indicate genuine interest.
Making the Go/No-Go Decision
After running your fake door test for 1-2 weeks, analyze the data against your predefined thresholds:
Go
Metrics exceed thresholds, positive feedback, clear target audience identified
Pivot
Some interest but not meeting all thresholds, consider refining concept or targeting
No-Go
Poor metrics across the board, high acquisition costs, negative feedback
Success Thresholds Guide
| Metric | Strong Signal | Moderate Signal | Weak Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion Rate | > 15% | 5-15% | < 5% |
| Ad CTR | > 2% | 1-2% | < 1% |
| Cost Per Lead | < 10% of projected LTV | 10-25% of projected LTV | > 25% of projected LTV |
| Waitlist Opt-in | > 500 signups or > 20% conversion | 100-500 signups or 10-20% conversion | < 100 signups or < 10% conversion |
Note: These thresholds are general guidelines and may vary based on your industry, product type, and target audience.
Example Implementation
Case Study: EcoTrack App
A hypothetical case study showcasing how to use fake door testing with AI tools to validate a new app concept.
The Concept
EcoTrack: A mobile app that helps users track and reduce their carbon footprint through personalized recommendations, easy activity tracking, and social sharing features.
AI Tools Used
- •Vercel v0 - For landing page creation
- •Sora - For app demo video
- •DALL-E - For app mockups and UI
- •AdCreative.ai - For Facebook ad creatives
Implementation Timeline
- 1
Day 1-2: Setup
Created landing page with v0, generated app mockups with DALL-E, and connected Typeform + Slack - 2
Day 3-4: Content
Generated app demo video with Sora and created ad creatives with AdCreative.ai - 3
Day 5-12: Testing
Ran Facebook ad campaign targeting 4 different audience segments - 4
Day 13-14: Analysis
Analyzed results and made go/no-go decision
Landing page visitors
Conversion rate
Waitlist signups
Cost per acquisition
Audience Insights:
- •Strongest interest from urban millennials (ages 25-34)
- •Highest conversion in coastal cities
- •Feature feedback emphasized social sharing over personal tracking
- •Built audience for beta testing and initial launch
Decision: GO
The fake door test showed strong interest in the EcoTrack concept, with conversion rates far exceeding the 10% threshold. The team decided to proceed with development.
Development Priorities Based on Feedback
The team adjusted development priorities to focus first on the social sharing features that resonated most with potential users, while still building the core tracking functionality.
Ready to Validate Your Idea?
Skip the guesswork and validate your business idea before investing significant time and resources in development. Our team of experts can help you set up and run effective fake door tests using cutting-edge AI tools, and then build your validated idea into a full product faster than traditional development.
Rapid Setup
Get your fake door test up and running in days, not weeks.
Expert Analysis
Gain actionable insights from your test results.
Full Implementation
We can build your validated idea into a full product.
What to Expect
During your free consultation, we'll discuss your business idea, target audience, and goals. We'll then provide recommendations for a fake door testing strategy tailored to your specific needs.
No strings attached – just expert advice to help you make informed decisions about your business idea.
Get in Touch
Ready to transform your ideas into AI-powered reality? Let's talk about your project.
ELEVATE
AI-Powered Development
Location
Harju maakond, Tallinn, Põhja-Tallinna linnaosa, Valgevase tn 13, 10414
info@elevate.ee
Registry code
12660233
VAT number
EE101720315
LEI code
25490055G6E3X0D4DS80
Registered
13.05.2014
"Quickly adapting to our urgent needs. Reliable, competent team."
Raivo Malter
CTO and Co-founder, Piixpay"Their work's been excellent, timely and of high quality."
Rob Duchscher
CIO, SunOpta"Unmatched support - quickly assisting with bugs & feature requests, long after the initial contract."
David Logan
CEO, Akupara Games