I think it's all about understanding a) what creates human pain, b) how much pain it creates, and c) how difficult it is to ease that pain. A lot of people hav

I think it's all about understanding a) what creates human pain, b) how much pain it creates, and c) how difficult it is to ease that pain. A lot of people have problems understanding what humans would actually find useful. If they've identified the pain-point, they don't spend enough time investigating how deep the pain goes. The last point is a reflection of either being a hacker or being comfortable with understanding how technology gets built -- if you don't know how to solve the pain or how difficult solving the pain is, you're in big trouble. I think very few people have the ability to do all three consistently. Generally, I don't think it's something you're born with, but if you are an 'ideas' person, you can refine your personal heuristics to identify good ideas better over time.