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Wouldn't it be helpful if those were reformulated in terms of the real "problem" being solved, or at least the benificial outcome that they're aiming for? As a

Wouldn't it be helpful if those were reformulated in terms of the real "problem" being solved, or at least the benificial outcome that they're aiming for? As a marketer who's always been interested in tech startups and that has dealt with many engineers, those ideas scream "engineering." The problem is finding startup ideas from an engineering point of view has in my experience been the best way to find a solution in search of a problem. "AI for Communicating with Dogs": sounds like a "hop on the AI bandwagon idea". I don't believe the idea in itself is silly at all (getting people to empathise with animals is probably a net good), but presenting it that way is a guaranteed way of not being taken seriously, and, more importantly, a guaranteed way of limiting your options when trying to solve the actual problem. Why does it HAVE TO be done with AI? "Smart Bathroom": Why? Why not start from the desired outcome? We're going to collect more data to do what? Etc. etc. Most of those ideas (there are a few exceptions) are driven by a product/widget-centric vision that doesn't seem to have any deeper justification.

jansho 9y ago
Huh, I half-agree with other commentators that the list is almost like a joke. On the other hand, it’s starting the startup conversation here again. The startup world is not exactly at its peak now; less rags-to-riches save-the-world stories, and more like scandals and housing crises and Juicero-dumbo moments. At least, it’s making me think about what AI can actually be useful for, even though I’m mostly not a fan of it and most certainly don’t see its worth in pet interactions. OP did say it’s an experiment :x
- davidivadavid 9y ago
  In my view, it's not at its peak partly because startups have drunk a bit too much of the "Startups are all about execution" Kool Aid and forgot that executing on crappy ideas just produced crap. To the average marketer, some HN threads are absolutely mind-boggling. Not too long ago, someone posted a thread essentially saying that he had freshly graduated from a top school and assembled a team of brilliant people, but they couldn't find anything to do with all their talent. How is that possible? Y Combinator's motto is "Make something people want." Well? What are startups waiting for? Mostly, they've again drunk a bit too much Kool Aid here — the "get out of the building" and "customer development" type. These are both good things to do — but if your original impetus is stupid (business-wise), you'll only converge towards mediocre outcomes. In fact, it's very easy to come up with things that people want. Because people have always wanted the same things, and probably always will. Everything the market provides is there to satisfy basic, universal human needs [1]. Fundamental needs and desires are the magma on which the tectonic plates that define product categories and product are moving. They're the deepest drivers of product adoption. Current product categories and products are just a byproduct of those needs meeting technological and economic limitations. Find out how you can satisfy some fundamental need better by leveraging technological changes, and you'll have a good startup idea. Or so I believe. [1] http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/needs.htm http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/needs.htm
formerjpl 9y ago
> Smart Bathroom Honestly, if there was a way to attach a gas chromatograph to toilet, i’d totally buy it. It’d be nice to be warned of high mercury or lead intake. Also, if there was a way to assess the state of your gut (micro-biome, digestion issues) in real time it would be a big win. So much of my life is dictated by diet (migraines, physical performance, mood), that having additional data points to correlate with, and potentially find causations, could potentially increase my quality of life.
charlescearl 9y ago
Well, it seems one viable question to ask is whether it might improve the day to day life and experience of people who depend on service animals (https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html). So in that sense, I agree that it is better to start with the problem (e.g. how can I improve life for people who depend on service animals?, or How can the life of service animals be improved?, etc.) rather than the tech.

jansho 9y ago

Huh, I half-agree with other commentators that the list is almost like a joke. On the other hand, it’s starting the startup conversation here again. The startup world is not exactly at its peak now; less rags-to-riches save-the-world stories, and more like scandals and housing crises and Juicero-dumbo moments. At least, it’s making me think about what AI can actually be useful for, even though I’m mostly not a fan of it and most certainly don’t see its worth in pet interactions. OP did say it’s an experiment :x

davidivadavid 9y ago
In my view, it's not at its peak partly because startups have drunk a bit too much of the "Startups are all about execution" Kool Aid and forgot that executing on crappy ideas just produced crap. To the average marketer, some HN threads are absolutely mind-boggling. Not too long ago, someone posted a thread essentially saying that he had freshly graduated from a top school and assembled a team of brilliant people, but they couldn't find anything to do with all their talent. How is that possible? Y Combinator's motto is "Make something people want." Well? What are startups waiting for? Mostly, they've again drunk a bit too much Kool Aid here — the "get out of the building" and "customer development" type. These are both good things to do — but if your original impetus is stupid (business-wise), you'll only converge towards mediocre outcomes. In fact, it's very easy to come up with things that people want. Because people have always wanted the same things, and probably always will. Everything the market provides is there to satisfy basic, universal human needs [1]. Fundamental needs and desires are the magma on which the tectonic plates that define product categories and product are moving. They're the deepest drivers of product adoption. Current product categories and products are just a byproduct of those needs meeting technological and economic limitations. Find out how you can satisfy some fundamental need better by leveraging technological changes, and you'll have a good startup idea. Or so I believe. [1] http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/needs.htm http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/needs.htm

formerjpl 9y ago

> Smart Bathroom Honestly, if there was a way to attach a gas chromatograph to toilet, i’d totally buy it. It’d be nice to be warned of high mercury or lead intake. Also, if there was a way to assess the state of your gut (micro-biome, digestion issues) in real time it would be a big win. So much of my life is dictated by diet (migraines, physical performance, mood), that having additional data points to correlate with, and potentially find causations, could potentially increase my quality of life.

charlescearl 9y ago

Well, it seems one viable question to ask is whether it might improve the day to day life and experience of people who depend on service animals (https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html). So in that sense, I agree that it is better to start with the problem (e.g. how can I improve life for people who depend on service animals?, or How can the life of service animals be improved?, etc.) rather than the tech.