This is a little bit like product/founder fit. What works for you may not work for others. Typically good ideas are not complex but quite simple. They are often comprised of other good, simple ideas (good artists copy; great artists steal).
With respect to ideas for a product, I would say it depends on your experience and resources: have you done this before, do you have a team, do you have the skills? In general, I've seen too many people take on projects that are too large. The most common result is that they never ship. Even when you have ruthlessly stripped all features to the bare minimum, you will still suffer from Hofstadter's Law (even when you know about Hofstadter's Law):
"Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."
Start Small. Launch. Charge. Grow.
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2. Find Good Ideas Where You Least Expect
There are a few strategies that may jolt you in to a fit of inspiration. You may find that ideas are all around you, waiting to be found.
Ship. Exercise your idea muscle by coming up with lots of ideas. Most of them won't be great ideas - that's ok. You're looking for quantity, not quality. Allow yourself the chance to fail (they're just ideas, you haven't implemented them) enough times so that you can find one good idea.
Don't Rush. Don't try to force it: Rovio struggled and struggled to find a game that the mass market would like. They launched over 50 games before Angry Birds.
Work Backwards. Start with what a good idea looks like when it's complete and then work backwards to the smallest origin of that idea. Implement and iterate.
Thanks for the in detail answer, no I didn't know about the Hofstadter's Law, I will read more about it.
Also about the second part of the answer, when you ship something and fails I feel disappointing about the time and effort that I have put for it and gaining nothing in return, especially about the time which could have been put for something better.
To be read as: Please click these links so I can get some money so I can continue getting rich from writing blog posts and not have to work an actual job.
1. Identify The Characteristics of a Good Idea
This is a little bit like product/founder fit. What works for you may not work for others. Typically good ideas are not complex but quite simple. They are often comprised of other good, simple ideas (good artists copy; great artists steal).
With respect to ideas for a product, I would say it depends on your experience and resources: have you done this before, do you have a team, do you have the skills? In general, I've seen too many people take on projects that are too large. The most common result is that they never ship. Even when you have ruthlessly stripped all features to the bare minimum, you will still suffer from Hofstadter's Law (even when you know about Hofstadter's Law):
"Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."
Start Small. Launch. Charge. Grow.
-
2. Find Good Ideas Where You Least Expect
There are a few strategies that may jolt you in to a fit of inspiration. You may find that ideas are all around you, waiting to be found.
Ship. Exercise your idea muscle by coming up with lots of ideas. Most of them won't be great ideas - that's ok. You're looking for quantity, not quality. Allow yourself the chance to fail (they're just ideas, you haven't implemented them) enough times so that you can find one good idea.
Don't Rush. Don't try to force it: Rovio struggled and struggled to find a game that the mass market would like. They launched over 50 games before Angry Birds.
Work Backwards. Start with what a good idea looks like when it's complete and then work backwards to the smallest origin of that idea. Implement and iterate.
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I've written more about these subjects here:
http://startupclarity.com/a/find-profitable-product-ideas/
http://startupclarity.com/a/good-product-idea/