The Gazillionth guide
How do you come up with a product idea?
Start from a real problem, pick one specific audience that has it, choose the simplest format that could solve it, then test the smallest version with real people before building more.
By Lucky Ranasinghe · MADITECH
The problem-audience-format method
The problem-audience-format method is a way to generate product ideas by fixing three choices: the problem to solve, the specific group who has it, and the form the solution takes.
Write those choices in one sentence: “Help new parents deal with wasted food through a phone app.” Then ask what that app would actually help someone do. Perhaps it would make a short plan for using the food already in the fridge. That is a possibility to test, not evidence of demand.
Why constraints help
“Make something useful” leaves too many decisions open. One audience gives you people to talk to. One problem gives you questions to ask. One format gives you a boundary for the first version.
Keep two choices fixed and change the third. Would a printable plan solve the same problem more simply than an app? Would a local service suit an audience that needs hands-on help?
How to judge an idea quickly
- Pain: What goes wrong today? Ask for a recent example.
- Frequency: How often does the problem happen? What triggers it?
- Willingness to pay: What do people already spend, in time or money, to handle it? Would they commit to your proposed solution?
- Reach: Where can you find the people who have this problem and speak with them?
An enthusiastic reaction is useful, but it is only a reaction. Look for someone willing to try the next step with you.
Run the smallest test
Talk to five people
Ask how they handled the problem last time. Listen for the workaround, the frustration and what they tried before. Avoid pitching until you understand their experience.
Put up a one-page site
Describe one audience, one problem and one clear offer. Give visitors a way to ask for it. A request can start a useful conversation about what they expect.
Do it by hand first
Use a spreadsheet, an email or a conversation to deliver the useful part. Write down where people get stuck and what you repeat. Those repeated tasks can guide what to build.
When to build
Build when you can explain who it serves, the task it helps them finish and what your test taught you. Keep the first version focused on that task. If the audience or problem is still vague, another conversation may be more useful than another feature.
Try the mixer
Mix a product idea on Gazillionth. Pick a problem, an audience and a format, then react to the suggestions. Save an interesting one and use its first step to start a test.
Already have an idea? Have MADITECH build it. Send Lucky the idea and where it stands for a reply about a first version and a quote. Sending it commits you to nothing.
Questions about finding an idea
Where should I start with a product idea?
Start with a real problem and one specific audience. Choose a simple format, then talk to people who have the problem.
How can I tell whether an idea is worth testing?
Look at the pain, how often it happens, whether someone would pay for a solution and how you could reach those people.
Do I need to build an app to test an idea?
No. Try a one-page site or deliver the service by hand first. Build when you understand what people need to do and why.
Can I use Gazillionth to find a starting point?
Yes. Pick a problem, an audience and a format in the free mixer. Treat each result as a prompt to investigate, rather than a proven business.