When should I start building an idea?
At what point do you start building out a new idea? I had an idea about a week ago for a SaaS application and I'm pretty excited about it. I'd like to get building soon, but I wonder if there's some greater process that I ought to follow first to ensure that the project is successful.
I haven't done any research on competitors or other current solutions. Should I do that first?
I've written out some basic features that I'd like the application to have, but haven't made any mockups or designs yet. Should I make some before building it?
I haven't even talked to anyone about the idea to see what they think. This idea is something that I would personally find useful, but I'm not sure what my friends would think of it. They're probably not in my target audience anyway. Should I try to find someone in my target audience first and discuss my ideas with them before building?
I'd like to get building as soon as I can so that I can maintain my excitement for the app, but I want to be smart about my process. Thoughts?
My advice is to hold off building anything as long as possible. I know that, as a coder, the urge to start building is strong, but I try to resist it.
I have learned to never start working on a new idea that I get excited about right away. New, exciting stuff goes on a list. If, after one month, I still feel the same as I did before, I might decide to pick it up (often that enthusiasm fades after a week or two).
I also have a simple rule that I am no longer allowed to work on a project without discussing it with at least two other people (ideally people who will give you honest feedback). Hobby projects not included of course. This is a great way to get comfortable discussing ideas with others and collecting some early in feedback.
I have been doing this for a long time (about 20 years) and I have learned that, for me, it is important to keep that flame of excitement burning as long as possible. And that usually only works if I deliberately go slow and pace myself.
Too often I went in all guns blazing until to burn out hard a few weeks into the new project.
Happy building!
Keeping the flame of excitement is crucial.
You have many more years of experience, so you're probably right. But I like to build a rough mockup to visualize my ideas as early as I can. It unlocks new learnings quickly. But it is key to move fast and not get bogged down in the details.
I totally, 100% get that. After all, most of us here are builders at heart. That's our passion and that's what we love to spend our time on.
I am currently experimenting with a slightly different approach, where I allow myself a fixed amount of time (one month in my case) to build something that would make it abundantly clear that this idea is worth investing more time in.
This thing could be a very simple product, but it doesn't have to be. It can also be a bunch of content or anything else that relates to the project.
As you said, it's super important to not get lost in the details and have some arbitrary restrictions.
Love that. Just like "Shape Up" from basecamp:https://basecamp.com/shapeup They take 6 week "bets" on new features/projects as an arbitrary restriction.
Thanks, this is really good advice! I'll give this a shot.
My advice is to don't build your product thinking of yourself as a customer. Do a survey out of your network. Talk to random people about your idea. Don't hesitate in sharing your idea. In this way, you'll be able to get the right feedback and comes up with a better solution to the problem.
Since some people already told you to keep your head cool and think about it smart, I'll give you the monkey advice (which I personally believe in): I know that sometimes the same time it takes me to build something someone else spends it thinking if he should build that thing or not.
Just a thought.