HN Explorer

Ask HN: How to find interesting products to build?

3 points by saddist0 ↗ HN
Problem: How to find interesting products/solutions/tools to build?

Things tried:

* Followed HN, Indiehackers, etc., to keep me up-to-date and to look for some ideas

* Browsed profiles and things people are doing on YC co-founder matching.

* Typical GitHub scan on the domains I love to work.

Why didn't you get one yet?

* Cold-start issue, especially after being out of touch with the dev

* Majority of the ideas already exist, and just another alternative didn't excite me.

My background:

* Got burnt out, quitted the job, completed a few months vacation (attempting to do this full time)

* Used to be 100% hands-on person, top of the class, fanciest job, etc.

Motivation:

* Want to revive my love for building new things again.

* Quite impressed with the intersection of build-in public and open-core models.

7 comments

[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 24.8 ms ] thread
cc101
The folks who write science fiction are often very creative. If, while reading a SF novel, you encounter something that strikes you as different, see if you can simplify it, or restrict it, or otherwise reduce to the point that you just might actually succeed in writing it.
saddist0
It sounds like an interesting approach, do you have a couple of recommendations for SF novel?
cc101
I have read very little SF for a few decades. Ask someone who follows it. Neil Stephenson and William Gibson are two writers of outstanding creativity. Swords and fantasy works don't seem promising. Good luck.
verdverm
What problem(s) do you understand well and live daily?

That's the best way to find something to work on. Focus on the problem first, then try to find the product or solution that fills part of the gap.

saddist0
I tried to apply this approach, along with learning the needs of a few non-tech friends locally.

It always boiled down to cheaper alternative of services like WhatsApp bot, hosting, etc OR reaching out to more users (and marketing isn't my strong suit).

hardwaresofton
Have I got the newsletter for you[0]!

Ideas are cool but what you really want to get good at us is market validation! The same idea can be Validated very differently and look good/bad

[0]: https://unvalidatedideas.com