Ask HN: I can't think of anything that I could make that people would want.
Have you run into this? How did you find a way to create something people would want?
We could then benignly eavesdrop and see if there are common issues in a particular industry that could be solved with software.
I don't know how to deal with that scenario, though.
There are a lot of niches out there to help smaller businesses in various industries do their work easier. Ask around and see how they do things. I get a lot of interesting ideas I only wish I had time to follow up on this way.
Here's one idea:
Something that does most of what Calibre does, but without being the awful experience that is calibre. Some GUI that can convert ebooks between different formats is one part. A gui to standardise file names would be something else. A catalogue so you know what you have would be a third part. But not all in one ugly weird god-awful gui mess like calibre.
Groucho Marx sent the following wire to a Hollywood club he had joined: "Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.”
If you can't think of anything you can make that people would want, then you need to either:
1. Learn to make different things
2. Learn more about what people want
I think everyone has made it pretty clear that it's all about finding a pain point / frustration.
Most of us have our day to day routine and we've worked out short-cuts and/or answers to obstacles that stand in the way of the things we do most often.
It's either this or we've just put up with whatever issue is at hand. However, I reckon most of us here don't settle for this option. Hackers are usually the ones to come up with a workaround or a quick-fix anyway. This may also be why they make bad customers.
The result is we don't feel like we encounter huge problems very often. So yea, in summary I think that's why speaking to people is very important. But another route is to just do something you don't normally do.
Perhaps there's something you're putting off doing because it just seems so bothersome?
Or maybe there's a project that you'd like to do but you've put off because you're not sure where to start?
A good way to find problems is to put yourself in difficult situations.
When you work on your computer is there something you consider a stumbling block, or do you have a trick that does well but its hard to explain or the process isn't quite acceptable for non techies.
Do you find it hard to locate things you have interest in? Why is it so hard? Do you see folks struggle on some process or device and are sure there could be a better way to do it?
Do you think it would be really cool if there was ??? Do you think you can do something way better than what has already been done?
Do you dream something that is totally out of your reach but would be interesting to just try to do it?
These are some of the seeds of projects.
As far as what people would want, you are people. Unless you know some specific market or the need trying to second guess others needs could be hard or disastrous. Start with yourself for ideas.
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2012/04/how-to-have-great-ideas...
Generally: Pick a problem. The world is plagued with large problems from power to food, from access to information to clean water. Each problem is begging for a solution.