I’m hesitant to simply say “read this”, but please consider The Mom Test. It’s a quick read & teaches how to structure conversations with potential customers.
Second that. It’s an easy read and provides a lot of good advice. And if you read between the lines it can also be applied to sale and networking, not only purely customer research (teaches you how to write less cringey messages/intros)
Came here to post this - this was a great (and short!) read to help validate if your idea could be something somebody wants to pay for.