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Ask HN: How do you get app/software ideas?

by otherayden on 3/3/25, 7:27 PM with 5 comments

Hi! I’ve been trying to find ideas to build that would actually be useful to people, but I’ve been finding it very difficult. Ive tried to take the approach of solving personal problems, but the apps never catch on. Does anyone here have a good methodology for finding software ideas that there is likely a real market for?

  • by mmonaghan on 3/3/25, 9:01 PM

    Start writing down every problem, irritation, idea, or improvement (to anything) you have. You need to train your brain to recognize you're feeling something and to ask questions about it. This is also useful for building self-awareness, mindfulness, and general EQ.

    I've been keeping a page in notion for a few years now and it has hundreds of ideas. Lately, one of my bigger sources of app/software ideas has been building dinky little side projects and thinking of ways to improve or automate or make my life easier.

  • by PaulHoule on 3/3/25, 7:52 PM

    One thing I was told by a VC that I always remembered is that they like to hear that there is competition for the product you're working on because that proves that a market exists.

  • by JohnFen on 3/3/25, 8:38 PM

    I keep a physical notebook and have a habit of writing down ideas as they enter my brain, as well as struggles and pain points with things as I encounter them. I never lack for ideas for great projects.

    The two most important aspects of this (for me) are: all ideas get written down immediately; and I do not make any judgement about the quality of the ideas/thoughts that get written down. At least, not in the moment. Assessing the value of the ideas comes later, when I'm mining through the notebook.

  • by creer on 3/3/25, 8:21 PM

    Scratching an itch assures that you have some personal involvement. But it does not insure market fit - sometimes we obsess about something that the market has not noticed, or has noticed but truly is indifferent to. You imply several attempts. How certain are you that it was all cases of your personal problems being irrelevant to the market, rather than other problems (feature set / product mgt, marketing, sales, etc such as lack of process compatibility, buyers perceived requirements that you did not address, etc, etc)

    Some people suggest launching the marketing / sales first. Fraud then probably. But having more than yourself as a feature guide right from the start sounds more like it: either existing competition or some potential clients at least willing to talk to you - which also helps pricing effectively.

  • by aaronrobinson on 3/3/25, 8:20 PM

    What problem do you want to solve for yourself.