Definition
A Fake Door test measures demand for something that does not exist yet by putting a believable entry point in front of real users.
Build the door, not the room. If you are thinking about a new feature, product, service, or pricing tier, do not start by building it. Start by creating the smallest honest signal that it exists: a button, menu item, landing page, product card, or call to action. Then measure how many people try to walk through the door. The clicks are the evidence. Not because clicks are perfect, but because they are better than a meeting full of opinions.
When to use it
Use a Fake Door when you need to test feature demand, product interest, pricing interest, or whether the right people will take the next step.
What to measure
- Views to clicks.
- Clicks to email capture.
- Qualified users versus curious users.
- Repeat clicks.
- Who clicked, not just how many clicked.
- Whether the click clears the pass threshold you set before launch.
Worked example
- Buffer testing plans and pricing before building the product.
- A SaaS team adding a “Generate board report” button before building the report.
- McSpaghetti on a McDonald’s menu before cooking a single strand of pasta.
Common mistake
The mistake is to make the door too vague or too hidden, then pretend the result means something. The door must look real enough, sit where demand would actually show up, and lead to an honest “we are testing this” moment.
Watch the training
Watch: Lesson 6: Fake Door Pretotype
Try it
Pick one idea, write the button customers would click if it existed, and define the pass threshold before you show it to anyone. Test an idea free.