Most software fails. Not because of bugs or performance issues—but because nobody wants it.

We build features users don't need. Products that solve imaginary problems. Solutions searching for problems rather than the other way around.

After years of building things both wanted and unwanted, I've learned that building the right thing is harder than building the thing right.

Here's what actually works.

Start with Problems, Not Solutions

The most common mistake: starting with a solution.

"I want to build an app that does X."
"Let's use blockchain for Y."
"AI could automate Z."

These start with technology and search for applications. It rarely works.

Instead, start with problems:

"Users complain they can't find what they need."
"This process takes four hours when it should take five minutes."
"People give up at this step."

Problems exist in the world. Solutions exist in your imagination. Grounding in problems keeps you anchored to reality.

Talk to Actual Users

You're not your user. Your assumptions about what users want are often wrong.

The fix is simple but uncomfortable: actually talk to users.

Not surveys (people lie). Not feature requests (people ask for what they think they want, not what they need). Conversations.

"Walk me through how you do X today."
"What's the most frustrating part of this process?"
"If you could wave a magic wand, what would be different?"

Listen more than you talk. The insights are in their words, not yours.

Watch Behavior, Not Just Words

People say one thing and do another.

They say they want advanced features. They use basic features.
They say price doesn't matter. They choose cheaper options.
They say they'd use your product. They don't sign up.

Observe what people actually do:

• Where do they click?
• Where do they get stuck?
• What do they complain about in practice, not in theory?
• What do they pay money for?

Behavior is truth. Words are aspiration.

Validate Before Building

Building is expensive. Validation is cheap.

Before building the full thing, test whether anyone wants it:

Landing page test: Describe the product, see if people sign up for early access. Interest is a signal.

Concierge MVP: Do manually what your product would do automatically. Does anyone pay for it? Want it?

Wizard of Oz: Make it look like the product exists when humans are doing the work behind the scenes. Do users engage?

Fake door test: Add a button for the feature that doesn't exist. See how many people click it.

Validation costs days. Building costs months. Validate first.

Build the Smallest Useful Thing

The first version should be embarrassingly small.

Not all the features. Not elegant architecture. Not scalable to millions.

The smallest thing that solves the core problem for someone.

Why small?

Faster to build: You start learning sooner.
Easier to change: When (not if) you're wrong, pivoting is easier.
Clearer signal: Users react to focused solutions more clearly than to kitchen sinks.

Expand later, based on real usage. Don't guess at what to expand—let data tell you.

Measure What Matters

After you ship, measure.

Not vanity metrics (page views, downloads). Outcome metrics:

• Do users come back?
• Do they complete the core action?
• Do they pay or would they pay?
• Do they recommend it to others?

These metrics tell you whether you've built something wanted. Vanity metrics tell you nothing useful.

Iterate Based on Learning

The first version is hypothesis. Usage data is evidence.

Use the evidence to iterate:

• What do users actually use? Double down on that.
• What do users ignore? Cut it or rethink it.
• Where do users get stuck? Fix the friction.
• What do users ask for? Consider adding it.

This is the loop: build small, measure, learn, iterate. Repeat.

Say No to Most Ideas

You'll have more ideas than you can implement. Users will request more than you can build.

Saying no is essential.

"Great idea, but not now."
"That's not the core problem we're solving."
"Interesting—we'll consider it for the future."

Every yes is a no to something else. Choose the yeses that matter most.

The Emotional Challenge

Building what people want requires letting go of what you want.

Your clever technical solution might not be what users need.
Your pet feature might not matter to anyone else.
Your vision might be wrong.

This is hard. We're attached to our ideas. But ideas that don't serve users are just ego.

The goal isn't to build what you think is cool. It's to solve real problems for real people.

Sometimes those overlap. Often they don't.

When You've Built Something Wanted

You know you've built something wanted when:

Users come back without prompting. Not because you emailed them—because they chose to.

Users tell others. Organic growth. Recommendations. Word of mouth.

Users pay (or would pay). Money is the ultimate validation of value.

Users complain when it's down. They depend on it. It matters to them.

Users ask for more. Not vague "nice to haves"—specific "I need this to do my job."

Until you see these signals, you're still searching. Keep iterating.

The Honest Truth

Building things people want is mostly about honesty.

Honest about whether you're solving real problems.
Honest about whether users actually want your solution.
Honest about what the data shows.

Most product failures are honesty failures—building what we wish people wanted rather than what they actually want.

Stay grounded in reality. Talk to users.

Watch behavior. Measure outcomes. Iterate based on evidence.

It's not glamorous. But it works.

FAQ

Q: What if I'm building something new that users can't imagine?

A: Users can't imagine solutions, but they can articulate problems. Find the problem, validate that it's real, then innovate on the solution.

Q: How many users do I need to talk to?

A: Start with 5-10 for qualitative insights. You'll see patterns quickly. For quantitative validation, you need more—but qualitative understanding comes first.

Q: What if the market doesn't exist yet?

A: Then you're taking bigger risks. Validate that the underlying problem exists even if current solutions don't. Early adopters who desperately need something are the first market.

What's helped you build things people actually want? What mistakes taught you the most?

product #startup #softwaredevelopment #userresearch #building

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