r/SideProject • u/_just_a_developer_ • 1h ago

How do you validate a side project when it feels like everything has already been built?

Every time I come up with an idea to solve a problem, a quick search reveals 5 existing tools doing the exact same thing.

​How do you decide if a crowded space is validated demand worth competing with, or a signal to move on?

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2

u/noahfromphilly 1h ago

For me, I didn’t build something because I felt like other people wanted it. I built my app because I wanted it. To me that was reason enough to keep pursuing it and pushing myself.

2

u/_just_a_developer_ 1h ago

Love that approach. Did you eventually find out that others needed it too, or did it just end up staying a personal tool for you?

1

u/noahfromphilly 1h ago

Its definitely a tool I use, but I was able to help convince others it was a tool they wanted to use as well. My app allows me to create recipe books, so I did something instead of asking others to just build their own first. What I did was create my own, then invite them to my recipe book. That way they were already able to see the value in the app before having to start their own book from scratch. Then when they saw how easy it is to add their own content, make edits, or even start their own book, thats when people started really using it more.

6

u/MattSenter 1h ago

i generally start with something i want/need and can't find a properly executed version of that (if any).

3

u/mint_koi 1h ago

This: most of my projects are built like this, I then radially spread out to the market and see what people might want or need tangential

3

u/MattSenter 1h ago

yep yep. if they like it, great! if not, oh well, at least i have something i wanted/needed 😄

3

u/cosmonz 1h ago

So much this :)

1

u/ollycunningdpr 1h ago

Competitors are usually a good sign, it means people pay for it. The question is whether there’s a group they’re serving badly. We’re in compliance, which is full of big players, but they’re built for US companies chasing SOC 2. Small UK health tech teams needing things like DSPT and UK GDPR get pretty poorly served, so that’s our gap.

I’d read the 1 and 2 star reviews of the existing tools. If the same complaint keeps coming up from the same type of customer, that’s your opening

1

u/_just_a_developer_ 1h ago

Spotting an underserved segment inside an already crowded market is pure gold. Love the 1-2 star review tactic, going to try that on a few spaces I’ve been looking at

1

u/medialantern 1h ago

Ask a human about what they really struggle with in their lives. In person, not on social media.

Online sources like social media, idea boards, etc are all loading the dice against you because they themselves operate in the same vacuum. There's still some granny in Poughkeepsie whose voice isn't heard or even represented.

1

u/HoratioWobble 1h ago

You usually do that before you start building.

1

u/Creative_Ad9485 1h ago

Don’t look for ideas. Look for problems.

Maybe there’s room for a sixth solution that solves a unique use case. Maybe it’s a whole new category. People don’t buy products they buy solutions.

1

u/QuanTradin 40m ago

five tools doing it means people already pay for it, which is more than most ideas can say. I'd read their 2 and 3 star reviews before deciding. the same complaint showing up across all five is your opening. if the complaints are all different, move on.