I’ve written before[1. Persistence] about the natural tendency we have to want to focus on those things that come easiest to us. It feels good to perform well at something.

The problem with this is that often what one is good at can actually end up sending them down the wrong path.

This couldn’t be truer than with testing hypotheses.

I’m naturally a business person so, it’s easiest for me to set up meetings and leverage my network to try and test something.

I have friends and colleagues who are marketers are heart. Their natural tendency is to set up A/B tests and drive traffic.

The most detrimental, however, is the developer. While this is far from a universal truth, many developers would rather code up an MVP than conduct a customer development interview.

There is value in all three of these methods of hypothesis-testing, but I challenge you to be aware of what your subconscious is pulling you towards. Know when a customer development interview is more appropriate than an A/B test. Fight the urge to create an MVP if there are easier methods of testing your hypothesis.

As my dad told me when I was hitting the back of a screwdriver with a crescent-wrench, “Use the right tool for the job and you save yourself a world of headache.”