September 22, 2025
As a designer and developer, I spend most of my day on the Internet reading and testing other business ideas and products. And here is what I have noticed. 👇🏼
Short answer: no. Having a great idea helps you probably with your internal motivation and ego, but if that great idea doesn’t solve a problem or bring delight to someone’s life, they most likely won’t pay for it.
So many stories on the internet start with a business owner so eager to ship quickly and get money fast that this is what they face:
I invested so much money and hours into this project, got 10,000+ sign-ups, but zero paid customers.
Roast my app.
But the app in question:
How do I know about these outcomes? I have tested the app and indeed roasted it.
But my question is, how in good conscience do you expect people to pay for this? 😅
Don’t be just another tech bro.
Put in the work, but also think about the users and their needs.
Collaborate with other knowledgeable people. Ask for their proffesional help.
Don’t skip research. Like ever! Even the bare minimum of it that you can do, do it!
Partner up with a designer. A good designer, for that matter.
And after all, build something worth sharing and talking about.
People buy for various reasons, and these are just some of them. You can scan the list and find which reasons your product or service meets. Before you jump into marketing and buying ads.
Let’s say you have found your gold mine by having a brilliant idea, and it also solves a problem that also fits why people buy. But you still don’t have buying users.
If we are talking about a digital product only, an app, let’s say. While you have had time to build the app, you have had an ideal user in mind, right?
Great if you did, then it's time to do some user testing with that low-cost MVP or prototype you built to find out if your ideal client is truly your target audience.
By running those tests and putting your solution in front of people, you will hear things you need to hear but probably don’t want to.
Here is an example of some of the interview comments I have encountered:
“It’s too confusing”
“Where are the sci-fi movies?”
“It looks a little outdated”
“None of these filters are helpful; I usually search depending on my mood.”
And some of these comments can be turned into insights if you make your user testing selection correctly.
After you reach a point where users say things like:
“Oh my god, I needed this yesterday!”
“This is so useful, my friend Iva would love this app.”
“Can I keep it?”
Then you have found your gold mine! Word of mouth, positive feedback and reinforcement. Here is where your detective work starts. Where do we find more personas like Alex? What are some demographics this persona has that we can use for our next campaign?
Are your user and app connected via hobby, business industry or social status? Here is where the digging starts.
What is your successful-to-failed ideas ratio? ☺️ What is some user feedback that has grounded you the most? Any stories you would like to share? Comment below!
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P.S. If you want to be part of my journey, you can find me on Instagram @angelova.nikoleta.design and on LinkedIn (Nikoleta Angelova).
Struggling with design and development? Join me on my YouTube channel, where I explain web design, user experience and development practices and stream occasionally. 🤓
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