How to Find Problems Worth Solving as a Solo Developer

Why most solo developers pick the wrong problem

Most developers build what they think is cool, not what people need. The result is a technically impressive product with zero users. The fix is simple: start with evidence of pain, not inspiration.

A problem worth solving has three properties. People experience it regularly. They actively look for solutions. And they are willing to pay to make it go away. If any of these is missing, you will struggle to build a business around it.

Where to find real problems

The best sources are places where people complain without being asked. Reddit threads where users ask for tool recommendations. G2 and Capterra reviews where buyers list what they hate about existing software. App store reviews where users describe bugs and missing features.

BigIdeasDB aggregates 238,000+ of these complaints across all four platforms. But you can also start manually by spending 30 minutes a day reading the top posts in subreddits related to your interests.

• Reddit: search for 'looking for', 'alternative to', 'frustrated with', 'need a tool' in niche subreddits
• G2 / Capterra: read 2-3 star reviews of popular tools in your target market
• App Store / Play Store: filter by recent 1-2 star reviews for popular apps
• Indie Hackers / Hacker News: browse 'Ask HN' and 'Show HN' for unmet needs
• Twitter / X: search for complaints about specific tools or workflows

How to filter: the solo developer litmus test

Not every real problem is a good solo developer problem. You need to filter for scope, market size, and competitive landscape. A problem is right for you if one person can build a meaningful solution in 4-8 weeks, the market is large enough for $5K-$20K MRR but small enough that big companies ignore it, and the existing solutions are bloated or expensive.

The sweet spot is a niche within a niche. Instead of building a project management tool, build a project management tool for freelance video editors. Instead of a CRM, build a CRM for music teachers.

• Can you build an MVP in 4-8 weeks?
• Are there at least 1,000 potential customers you can reach?
• Are existing solutions overpriced, overcomplicated, or missing this specific feature?
• Do people in this niche already spend money on software?
• Can you reach these people through content, communities, or direct outreach?

Use BigIdeasDB to skip the manual search

BigIdeasDB has already mined and categorized 238,000+ complaints. Each one is tagged with the product, the problem category, the severity, and the number of users who mention it. You can filter by market, competition level, and build complexity to find problems that match your skills.

The platform also includes revenue estimates and build guides, so you can go from problem discovery to product specification in minutes instead of weeks of manual research.

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