Complaint mining (Validation)
Run investigations under Validation: AI-suggested projects, mine and triage complaints per investigation, then export CSV from Vault.
What it is
Complaint mining (Validation) is where you run investigations: structured projects that collect real-world frustration signals (quotes, sources, tags), organize them into groups, and use them as evidence for your venture thesis.
Complaint mining hub: investigations list, AI Suggest and New investigation, optional AI-suggested panel, and note that CSV export lives in Vault
Where to open it
From the app: Complaint mining under Validation (you can also open it from the Validation hub card). Use the Open … link at the end of this article when you are signed in with a venture selected.
Prerequisites
The page stays locked until Problem Discovery in the Idea Book has its key fields complete—the same rule the product uses to unlock complaint mining. Sign in so investigations save to your venture.
Hub: Complaint mining investigations
The hub lists your investigations (draft, active, or closed).
- AI Suggest proposes new investigation titles and descriptions from your venture context. Suggestions are deduplicated against investigations you already have so angles stay distinct when possible.
- New investigation opens a dialog to start one manually.
- When AI-suggested investigations appears, pick checkboxes, then Create selected or Add all; you stay on the hub until creation finishes.
Open any investigation card to enter the investigation workspace at /validation/complaints/<id>.
Investigation workspace
Inside an investigation you will see:
- Dashboard — totals, emotion, friction index, groups by signal, and optional AI analysis when you have enough complaints.
- Complaints — add and edit individual complaint items (quote, source, emotion, pain category, high-signal flag).
- Groups — define theme buckets, optionally use AI Suggest Groups, then link complaints to each group.
For more on that workspace, see Saved customer complaints (Validation).
Export (CSV)
You do not export from an investigation tab. Download all complaint items for an investigation as CSV from Vault:
- Open Vault for the same venture.
- Find the Complaint mining section.
- Use Download CSV on the card for the investigation you want.
The file includes source, quote, emotion, signal flag, pain category, linked groups, and created date.
Who it's for
Founders who want indirect discovery (forums, reviews, communities) alongside direct interviews, with receipts organized per investigation.
How it fits your journey
Complaint mining feeds the evidence side of validation; grouped items can inform Idea Book updates, surveys, and pitch narrative.
Getting started
Complete Problem Discovery, then open Complaint mining, run AI Suggest or New investigation, and open your first investigation to add complaints.
Open Complaint mining