Should I Build It Should I Build It
02 Jul 2025
Developer Tools

Help with coming up with new ideas for side projects

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

The idea of helping people find side project ideas falls into a crowded space, categorized as a "Swamp." With 19 similar products already identified, competition is significant. Most similar products receive little engagement (average of 3 comments), suggesting that many solutions in this space don't truly resonate with users. Since the Net Use and Buy signals are zero, this means that people are generally neutral, which isn't a strong indicator of market demand. The core challenge is that many of the existing 'idea generation' tools haven't solved the fundamental problem of sparking genuine, valuable, and actionable ideas. To succeed, you'll need to offer a truly differentiated approach, such as focusing on very specific niches or underserved groups.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by deeply researching why existing side project idea platforms haven't achieved widespread success. Analyze their user feedback, identify pain points, and understand where they fall short. Look at the criticism summaries of similar products to understand what not to do (e.g. difficulty obtaining good ideas from users, lack of differentiation from existing solutions, design issues).
  2. If you decide to proceed, resist the urge to create another generic idea list. Instead, pinpoint a specific niche or demographic that is underserved by current solutions. For example, you might focus on side project ideas for educators, remote workers, or individuals interested in a particular hobby or industry.
  3. Rather than directly competing with existing platforms, explore the possibility of building tools or resources that complement them. Could you create a specialized validation tool, a market research service, or a unique educational resource that enhances the value of existing idea platforms?
  4. Consider exploring adjacent problems. Maybe the real challenge isn't generating ideas, but rather validating them or connecting individuals with the skills and resources to execute them. Shifting your focus slightly could lead to a more promising opportunity.
  5. Focus on idea quality and originality from the start. Implement measures to vet ideas, moderate content, and prevent duplication. Consider incorporating user feedback mechanisms to help identify and prioritize the most promising concepts. Review the discussions from similar product launches to improve product design.
  6. Instead of just listing ideas, focus on providing detailed, actionable insights for each idea. This could include market analysis, competitor research, potential revenue streams, and required skill sets.
  7. Think about building a community around your platform. Encourage users to collaborate, provide feedback, and support each other. This can help to foster a sense of ownership and increase user engagement. Add a notification system to alert users when they get comments and responses to their activity.

Questions

  1. What specific problem are you solving with your side project idea platform that existing solutions don't address effectively? How will you measure your success in solving that problem?
  2. How will you ensure the quality and originality of the ideas shared on your platform? What mechanisms will you put in place to prevent idea theft and misuse?
  3. How will you validate the market demand for your platform and its unique features? What metrics will you track to measure user engagement and satisfaction?

Your are here

The idea of helping people find side project ideas falls into a crowded space, categorized as a "Swamp." With 19 similar products already identified, competition is significant. Most similar products receive little engagement (average of 3 comments), suggesting that many solutions in this space don't truly resonate with users. Since the Net Use and Buy signals are zero, this means that people are generally neutral, which isn't a strong indicator of market demand. The core challenge is that many of the existing 'idea generation' tools haven't solved the fundamental problem of sparking genuine, valuable, and actionable ideas. To succeed, you'll need to offer a truly differentiated approach, such as focusing on very specific niches or underserved groups.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by deeply researching why existing side project idea platforms haven't achieved widespread success. Analyze their user feedback, identify pain points, and understand where they fall short. Look at the criticism summaries of similar products to understand what not to do (e.g. difficulty obtaining good ideas from users, lack of differentiation from existing solutions, design issues).
  2. If you decide to proceed, resist the urge to create another generic idea list. Instead, pinpoint a specific niche or demographic that is underserved by current solutions. For example, you might focus on side project ideas for educators, remote workers, or individuals interested in a particular hobby or industry.
  3. Rather than directly competing with existing platforms, explore the possibility of building tools or resources that complement them. Could you create a specialized validation tool, a market research service, or a unique educational resource that enhances the value of existing idea platforms?
  4. Consider exploring adjacent problems. Maybe the real challenge isn't generating ideas, but rather validating them or connecting individuals with the skills and resources to execute them. Shifting your focus slightly could lead to a more promising opportunity.
  5. Focus on idea quality and originality from the start. Implement measures to vet ideas, moderate content, and prevent duplication. Consider incorporating user feedback mechanisms to help identify and prioritize the most promising concepts. Review the discussions from similar product launches to improve product design.
  6. Instead of just listing ideas, focus on providing detailed, actionable insights for each idea. This could include market analysis, competitor research, potential revenue streams, and required skill sets.
  7. Think about building a community around your platform. Encourage users to collaborate, provide feedback, and support each other. This can help to foster a sense of ownership and increase user engagement. Add a notification system to alert users when they get comments and responses to their activity.

Questions

  1. What specific problem are you solving with your side project idea platform that existing solutions don't address effectively? How will you measure your success in solving that problem?
  2. How will you ensure the quality and originality of the ideas shared on your platform? What mechanisms will you put in place to prevent idea theft and misuse?
  3. How will you validate the market demand for your platform and its unique features? What metrics will you track to measure user engagement and satisfaction?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 19
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 3
  • Net use signal: 15.0%
    • Positive use signal: 15.0%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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