Similar to "look for anomalies" my general rule of thumb is to solve some sort of problem, even if it's rather small.
So for example:
1. I pick a topic/product. Let's say: Gmail
2. I look for things that I'd like to be able to do, wish I could do, or consider frustrations I've experienced in the past.
- I want to review how many emails I get a day on average, where are my "inbox metrics"?
- I want to see threaded messages more clearly, why is the design so opposite a normal chat message?
- I want to create emails faster, why do I have such an elaborate editor and format for something that I typically want to use informally?
3. I consider ways to solve said problems
- Where are my "inbox metrics"? - Chrome extension to show average emails per day, and graph on a timeline which types of emails I get on certain days. Huge personal data opportunity here.
- I want to see threaded messages more clearly - An app that connects to my gmail that intelligently restructures my emails to make them appear like chat messages. It handles all the noise, I just message as I would in any instant messenger.
- I want to create emails faster - predictive text templates, quick starters, GPT powered replies, change the "bulky editor" out for a simple text box + clever replies.
4. I then research if there are existing solutions to said problems, and if there are, I either ignore and move on, or consider ways that I could quickly one up their product to make mine the better product in the marketplace.
For my specific use-case, I'm trying to build a product per day, so I'll look for speedy ways to solve the problem that I've selected in a novel and agency increasing way. But I think this is a great structure for anyone looking to build a startup or a small side hustle.