
Make something people need - davidw
http://jacquesmattheij.com/make+something+people+need
======
swombat
One person's need is another person's want is another person's "wtf is this?
get off my lawn!"...

Need is in the eye of the beholder. I think "Make something people need"
really means "Make something some people are willing to pay for". Which is
nice, but more niche advice than "Make something people want".

No one wants to pay for Google search. But it's damn useful, and a great thing
to have made (and led to business services that businesses need). Conversely,
nobody needs any given movie or song or fiction book or game - they are
largely commoditised and interchangeable before you've actually consumed them.
But making movies and books and other forms of unnecessary art still makes
hundreds of billions of dollars of revenues every year.

"Make something people want" applies to more companies than "Make something
people need", imho.

~~~
nadam
"But making movies and books and other forms of unnecessary art still makes
hundreds of billions of dollars of revenues every year." Everything else being
equal, I would not choose these markets. Why? Because these markets are too
sexy and too crowded: too much people write games and books out of enthusiasm.
(I was one of them.) If you are a game enthusiast, sure create an indie gaming
company. But if you somehow can get excited about a business problem which is
a pain point for some people, then it is better to choose that imho.

I would say:

Make something people need, and avoid overcrowded markets where a viable
business model became problematic (e.g. free is the default) because of
oversupply (like tools for professional developers)

------
djm
It's interesting to see that since Jacques left HN his articles seem to
dominate the front page whenever he writes one (which I'm quite happy with
since I like reading them).

Maybe we're subconsciously trying to make him come back by flooding his server
with requests for attention.

------
shadowsun7
Just a note: Youtube is now massively profitable.

[http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/03/09/1906416/youtube-s...](http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/03/09/1906416/youtube-
shifts-from-googles-errant.html)

[http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/ff_youtube_5secrets/al...](http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/ff_youtube_5secrets/all/1)

------
depoisfalamos
What if people don't know what they need or want? Sometimes we try to build or
develop something exactly as someone asks. Most of the time, that's exactly
what they need; but many times they are wrong: requirements are wrong, even
the sense of "need" or "want" is misplaced.

When we are developing something new, a new product or service, software or
building, we always try do please people, trying to perceive what their needs
or wishes are. But what if they don't really know? As Ford said once "if i
asked people what they wanted, they would say 'a more powerful horse'".
Sometimes, what people need or want is something that isn't here yet. Maybe we
try to much to build something according people's wishes, and the finished
product is nothing more than a copy of thousands of solutions made by people
who thought the same thing.

I know it may be hard, but to really make a difference, we have to try to stay
ahead. Even ahead of potencial customers. Either you're right or wrong, you'll
know it soon enough

------
edw519
Not so Good: Build it and they will come.

Good: Make something people want.

Better: Make something people need.

Even better: Make something people need and know that they need. If they don't
already know, someone will have to help them know. That someone might be you
and helping them will take sales and marketing, a significant consideration.

Even better: Make something people need, know they need, and are willing to
pay for now. Competing against "we're not ready, maybe next year" is tougher
that competing against any competitor.

Best: Make something people need, know they need, are willing to pay for now,
and has their hair on fire. Leapfrogging to "let's just solve this problem
now" is often the best (and most fun) way to deploy.

[EDIT: In response to some of the replies to this thread: This is _not_ about
"guessing what people need", worrying about competition, or assuming "if I
need it, others must too". This is about getting up off your butt, talking to
people, finding out what they must have, and building it for them. There are
people everywhere desperate for solutions to their problems, and I promise
you, they're not finding them. Sure, you may scratch your own itch and hope
that someone else needs it, but this is a lottery approach. Most start-ups
fail because they built something no one else wanted or was willing to pay
for.

There is absolutely no better way to find out what to build than finding
customers first. Please don't be like me and learn that the hard way. There
are great apps everywhere that nobody uses while people suffer because no one
is building what they want.]

~~~
choffstein
In my opinion, people should stop trying to guess what solves other peoples
problems and just solve their own.

Best(er): Make something YOU need and are willing to pay for now.

If you solve your own problem, you're guaranteed to understand the problem,
execute well, and be surprised how many other people have the same problem.

~~~
robeastham
That's exactly what I'm banking on with the new app I'm developing
<http://www.mightycv.com>. I needed a new résumé and didn't like the more
generic builders I found out their. I wanted a résumé builder that worked for
hackers and integrated easily with HN, github and stackoverflow and so I built
one. I really hope that by scratching my own itch I've executed well and made
something that others will find useful.

If there's lot's of competition in a particular area then I think it might be
a better plan to focus on a niche part of that larger market. Remember
facebook was only for college kids to start with.

------
tomdeal
This is very general speaking. Of course, make something people need is good,
because you have a nice niche then to sell something, but I think it is not
accurate enough. Everything a person needs are 4 walls, a roof, something to
eat and someone to love. Lets find a better sentence, something like: "Make
something which makes people smile". While it is not catchy like the original
sentence, it is a lot more accurate. A secretary will smile when presented
with a better accounting software. A lumberjack will smile when given a better
axe. A developer will smile when given an awesome new programming language.

Oh, and not to be mistaken, it is totally OK to have these people pay for
things that make them smile, Disneyland also takes an entrance fee.

------
scrrr
"Make people want something you have." is probably also a common strategy.

------
BadCookie
There are very few things that people truly need: food, water, air, arguably
shelter. Unless you are a farmer or building houses, you aren't making
something that people need. This whole discussion seems a bit silly to me for
this reason. Anybody who is building a tech company is building something that
people want, not something that they need. Do you really _need_ Amazon or
eBay? No, of course not.

------
lovskogen
People don't need fart apps, but they seem to sell well. What gives?

~~~
roblund
Is Angry Birds something I 'need?' Well, maybe for some people I guess.

~~~
mediacrisis
Cheaper than therapy ;) Though arguably one could classify entertainment as a
need.

------
jonpaul
This reminds me of quote from Matt Mullenweg (founder of Wordpress): "Be a
pill, not a vitamin."

------
stuartmemo
Build something you enjoy building.

------
ThomPete
if they need it they want it, if they want it they need it

~~~
shin_lao
You might need to educate customers about their need. They might need
something without knowing it.

~~~
ThomPete
Then they don't want it.

~~~
bosie
correct. but if you don't know it even exists, how could you need it?
especially considering that all startups are just luxury products, since
humans don't need anything other than water and food.

~~~
omh
In many cases we could get into the definition of 'need'.

But consider something like legal/regulatory requirements. Perhaps you don't
know about some law at the moment, but you _should_ be complying with it. I
have a product that fixes this problem for you. Until I call you, you don't
want it but you still need it. When I tell you this, hopefully you'll
understand and I have a good chance of a sale.

