Market Needs

I tinker a lot. I grow frustrated with a product so I hack something together to fix it. However, I fall short convincing a friend or the person near me to take my newly built thing for a spin. My new "hack" did not meet her expectations or any need. Fortunately, it can be easily addressed by exploring the market before diving into the code.

It’s a scary thought: forcing yourself to stop and ask questions. But doing some homework can decide the fate of your project. Your first priority is finding out what the market already has that solves your problem (or frustration). Imagine your car broke down one early morning and you need to get to work. How would you do it? You can call up a dealership and buy a brand new car to take to work, find the nearest bus stop and take public transportation, or call a cab to pick you up and drop you off. These are all viable solutions that can do the job. How would your product compete?

Working backwards is your best bet at building something that actually serves your customers. It aligns their interests with yours and helps carve an entry for your team.