Step 1
A confirmed category row requires a buyer problem, budget owner, multiple plausible members, and at least one independent use of the term.
Public tool method · Version 1.0.0
Category Evidence Builder
Use this method when you need to answer: Does this proposed category exist beyond our own language? It turns the evidence you supply into a Category evidence matrix by applying explicit, versioned decision rules. The result is not a benchmark or certification. It shows the strongest evidence, riskiest input, next action, owner, and review date so another reader can inspect and challenge the decision.
Last material review 2026-08-08 · Next review 2027-02-04
Question answered
Does this proposed category exist beyond our own language?
The category evidence matrix separates buyer and market evidence from company assertion.
Step 2
Contradictory evidence outranks supporting assertion.
Step 3
Missing evidence produces Missing or Untested, never a reassuring score.
Step 4
Record the required inputs and label missing or estimated evidence before classification.
Step 5
Apply the versioned decision rule and preserve the reason behind each row state.
Assumptions and limits
- The method does not prove market size, adoption, or demand velocity.
Usefulness hypothesis
Naming the exact missing category evidence improves category decisions before a launch.
Primary metric: Evidence-matrix export or Category Creation workshop pre-read
Worked example and modes
The same method, preserved entry intent.
- Buyer Problem
- Senior teams cannot tell which market assumptions have expired.
- Search Phrase
- strategy assumption audit
- Budget Owner
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Alternatives
- Consulting review, planning offsite
- Members
- Strategy firms, research platforms, planning teams
- Independent Use
- Two industry newsletters use the term
Distribution package
Use, embed, and share the instrument.
Blank CSV template90-second demonstrationThree share treatmentsPlain-language answer
Embed with canonical attribution
<iframe src="https://petrichorgrowth.com/tools/category-creation/embed.html" title="Category Evidence Builder" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="900"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://petrichorgrowth.com/tools/category-creation">Category Evidence Builder by Petrichor</a></p>Ownership and change control
Who keeps the result defensible?
Product
Petrichor product
Method
Petrichor strategy
Evidence
Petrichor research
Privacy
Petrichor operations
Security
Petrichor web platform
Distribution
Petrichor growth
Support
Petrichor client experience
A material method change requires a reason, impact note, fixture rerun, semantic-version increment, and public entry in the method change log.
Related decision methods
Continue through the evidence chain.
Competitive Reality
Separate dated competitive evidence from inherited assumptions and vulnerable claims.
Customer Truth
Compare internal beliefs with observed customer language and behavior.
Market Memory and Permission
Determine what the market remembers and how far the brand can credibly move.
Related plain-language answers
Competitive Reality answerCustomer Truth answerMarket Memory answer
Method questions
What another reader should know.
What does the Category Evidence Builder method produce?
A versioned Category evidence matrix with visible reasoning, evidence status, next action, ownership, and review date.
What inputs does Category Evidence Builder require?
Only the structured decision evidence named by the instrument. Missing or estimated inputs remain visible in the result.
Does the method use AI or a cross-customer benchmark?
No. It applies deterministic rules to the user's inputs and does not compare one customer with another.
When is the method reviewed or changed?
The current method is reviewed at least every 180 days. Material changes require new fixtures, a version increment, and a public change note.
When should the artifact move into facilitated work?
When the unresolved decision requires team challenge, evidence reconciliation, dissent, ownership, and an organizational commitment.