Turn the Question Into Something People Can Try

James asks how to trace a method from its inputs and assumptions to a result people can trust. Sally draws a different boundary: interviews reveal how people describe a problem, but stated interest alone doesn’t show whether a solution fits their behavior.

A small prototype can connect those questions. For a hypothetical appointment-booking tool, sketch one decision screen with two genuinely different choices. Ask someone to work through it using a recent booking situation: What would they choose, what do they expect to happen, and what feels unclear?

That gives you something concrete to inspect—not proof of demand, but a way to examine both the decision experience and the assumptions behind it. Keep the prototype rough until you know which uncertainty it should help resolve.