Home/r/indiehackers/2025-07-24/#tell-me-how-you-came-up-with-the-idea-for-your-product
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Tell me how you came up with the idea for your product

r/indiehackers
7/24/2025

Content Summary

The Reddit post asks IndieHackers community members to share how they came up with their first product ideas. The responses reveal that most successful SaaS ideas come from personal experience (scratching one's own itch), identifying inefficiencies in work processes, listening to community pain points, and converting blog content into tools. Several founders built tools to solve problems they personally faced with existing solutions. Many are still in early development stages, actively seeking feedback, and iterating on their ideas. The discussion emphasizes that perfect ideas aren't necessary to start - solving a real problem with a simple solution and iterating is the key to successful SaaS development.

Opinion Analysis

The dominant viewpoint is that the best product ideas come from personal experience solving one's own problems. This perspective was reinforced by multiple experienced founders who shared examples from their own journeys. A secondary mainstream opinion emphasizes the importance of listening to community pain points and identifying recurring issues that haven't been solved well. There was some debate about the importance of technical skills versus idea quality, with some suggesting that learning to code first helps execute ideas, while others emphasized that the problem-solution fit matters more than technical implementation. There was also discussion about marketing approaches, with some emphasizing the importance of clear value propositions and others highlighting the need for SEO and AI discoverability optimization.

SAAS TOOLS

SaaSURLCategoryFeatures/Notes
BettrPromptshttps://www.bettrprompts.com/AI ToolsAI Prompt Templates with custom Datasets for free use
YakStak.apphttps://yakstak.appProductivityTurns user interviews into product decisions
Bearly Fithttps://bearly.fitHealth & FitnessFitness app with user data control
Sales.haushttps://sales.hausJob BoardNewsletter for remote sales roles
Petportraitgenerator.aihttps://www.petportraitgenerator.ai/AI ArtAI-generated pet portraits
TellMeWhereItHurtsNowhttps://tellmewhereithurtsnow.comHealth & B2BVisual tool for massage therapy targeting
Voicelyhttps://voice-ly.app/Parenting & AIAI voice generator for lullabies
Verkistohttps://verkisto-6ab43i.flutterflow.appContent CreationBlog builder app
MyInnerScopehttps://myinnerscope.comMental HealthFocus and self-improvement tool based on therapy insights

USER NEEDS

Pain Points:

  • Difficulty finding good product ideas
  • Frustration with manual processes (email campaigns, SEO, user interviews)
  • Lack of tools solving specific personal/work problems
  • Difficulty understanding user feedback and interview data
  • High cost of existing software solutions
  • Poor user experience in health/fitness apps
  • Challenges in remote sales job discovery
  • Difficulty creating blogs efficiently
  • Lack of control over personal health data
  • Difficulty soothing children when parents are away
  • Difficulty creating effective AI prompts

Problems to Solve:

  • Need for better idea generation frameworks
  • Need for automation of repetitive tasks
  • Need for better tools to analyze user interviews
  • Need for affordable niche-specific software
  • Need for improved UX in health apps
  • Need for better remote sales job marketplace
  • Need for easier blog creation tools
  • Need for better AI prompt templates
  • Need for better parent-child connection tools

Potential Solutions:

  • Build tools that solve personal problems
  • Create niche SaaS for specific audiences
  • Use AI to improve productivity and content creation
  • Develop tools that turn complex data into actionable insights
  • Offer free versions with premium upgrades
  • Create simple visual tools for specialized industries

GROWTH FACTORS

Effective Strategies:

  • Solving personal problems that others share
  • Building minimum viable products and iterating
  • Listening to community pain points
  • Identifying market gaps in specific niches
  • Converting blog content into SaaS offerings
  • Using personal networks to identify problems
  • Focusing on products that bring personal satisfaction

Marketing & Acquisition:

  • Engaging with communities like IndieHackers
  • Offering free trials and credits for early feedback
  • Creating clear value propositions based on feedback
  • Leveraging personal experiences for marketing stories
  • Optimizing for both traditional SEO and AI discoverability

Monetization & Product:

  • Offering tiered pricing models
  • Starting with free versions before monetization
  • Focusing on product-market fit before scale
  • Prioritizing core problem-solving features
  • Creating simple, focused tools for specific needs
  • Balancing feature development with simplicity

User Engagement:

  • Actively seeking and implementing user feedback
  • Being responsive to user confusion and criticism
  • Creating clear communication about product purpose
  • Building communities around specific use cases
  • Engaging directly with potential users during development