Supporting Experiment Template

Use this template to design and conduct exploratory, confirmatory, and technical experiments

Supporting Experiments

This template is used to document the many supporting experiments that comprise a single primary experiment. Each supporting experiment is drawn from a slice from the divergent stage of one of the triple diamonds. Some common supporting experiments include

  • Exploratory Experiments: Used to uncover patterns, insights, or hypotheses. Often open-ended and inductive. For example, observation, conversation, secondary research, ideation
  • Confirmatory Experiments: Used to test a clear hypothesis. Controlled, deductive, and evidence-seeking. For example, people access test, customer pain validation, solution validation
  • Technical Experiments: Used to compare, validate, or refine solution design and implementation decisions. Focused on how things work, not just what people think or do. For example, A/B tests, micro-validations, component trials, usability checks, feature verification

General Info

  • Title / Observation Type:
  • Date:
  • Location / Setting:
  • Team Member(s):
  • Modality (e.g., Interview, Observation, etc.):
  • Linked Primary Experiment:

1. Clarify the Unknown

  • Most Urgent Unknown: What uncertainty are you trying to reduce?
  • Other Urgent Unknowns: Why is this one most pressing?

2. Experiment Type

3. Modality and Fit

  • Modality Chosen (e.g., Interview, Observation, Survey, etc.):
  • Why it fits this unknown:

4. Design

  • Source of Evidence:
  • Collection Mechanism (Interview guide, survey, etc.):
  • Sampling Strategy:
  • Sample Size Goal:

5. Execution Notes

  • What did you actually do?
  • Who did you reach?
  • Deviations from the plan? Surprises?
  • Sampling biases?

6. Results and Data Summary

  • Link raw data, quotes, tables, etc.
  • Highlight key findings:

7. Knowledge Updating

  • What do you now know?
  • How confident are you? Why?
  • What assumptions did you update or abandon?

8. Next Steps

  • What are you doing next based on this experiment?