Why “Geeks” should work on thier Random(Startup/SideProject) Ideas..
We “Geeks” usually get a lot of ideas while looking around different websites and mobile applications and Bam! we think of an idea and we get excited about it.. we guys usually think about it for a couple of days and then discuss that with our friends and then sometimes Shit Happens! your friends says it will not work he/she shows you different apps or websites which are close to your ideas and then you leave that idea but No! we should test each idea if we can manage to pull off it in our free time!
Yes the point it true and valid that spending money/time on a vague or unpolished idea is no good.. we should give some time to it, see how it is feasible, how the product can help other and who will be the users. There are ways for testing your ideas by surveys but the best is to personally discuss with live audience and Please do not get offend if they find errors in your ideas. Live audience can be your friends or a small kid “Teen” or what i fell the best is people sitting next to you in a Bus or in a Train ..(They usually give the most appropriate answers)
Now why testing each idea is important! we all know Whatsapp is a Big hit and everyone who would have listened to the idea would have loved it for sure but in the case of Slack : after listening to the idea I had never thought it could become such a big product even i cannot live without it now as well. Yes they kept it for enterprise and marketed it well but still it is a same messaging app!
Facebook is a great idea true but for Instagram i thought of it as Facebook with only images but now people are spending and posting more on Instagram then Facebook..
Snapchat the one idea that people would have never thought that it can become such a huge product but Erik and the team keep inventing the app and now it is the most used app by the Teens. They are so many examples live today which people would have never thought can become so big like ProductHunt : More people are now posting new inventions there and day by day more people are interacting with them.After having so many sites out there which does the same thing by showcasing different product we loved ProductHunt but if one of your colleague would have shared such idea maybe you would have said “Don’t waste your time in this”. A new app DubsMash which looks silly but is fun to use.. there are quite many success stories out there and they need a lot of Dedication but without trying nothing can be accomplished.
Yes i back on the point that how a product is marketed, who are main users, Budget of the app, Promotions and all the stuff matters without them one cannot become huge but all this comes after inventing or prototyping your idea and if 100 strangers are using your product and are happy using it then i guess you are on the right path otherwise it will stay as a Side Project and you can always pivot it and maybe next time your product story goes Viral.
PS: This is my First Post! Do Comment and i am happy to discuss about various ideas and may be i can help ☺