5 ms·

Why isn't there any good "Application Wish List" site?

• michaelpinto 15y ago
  My guess is that it could be a supply and demand problem — I bet that for almost any niche you can think of there could be a mobile app (or even dozens of apps). So do a test: Come up with the ten most niche ideas you can for a mobile app, google them and see if there are any results.
  • anujkk 15y ago
    I didn't get your point. Are you trying to say there is more supply of ideas than demand? or vice versa? I believe there are many unshared and undiscovered ideas to share with people and there are many hackers who are looking for new ideas/problems to solve. It's just that there isn't a proper tool to do it which both idea sharers and idea searchers feel excited to use.
    • michaelpinto 15y ago
      Honestly yes I do see a ton of bad ideas, way too many "solutions looking for problems". If you're looking for a problem to solve find some existing software that's terrible (and there's a ton of it) and figure out how to make something much better. Often these are overlooked areas hat are in front of your nose. For example back in the day your database wouldn't have listed a social media website for a youth market because MySpace was out -- so Facebook by that way of thinking wouldn't have happened. Same with other success stories: Why do an iPod when there were already MP3 players on the market? Also I think part of the problem is that there's so much venture capital that many of the obvious problem areas are over covered. I'd also add to this the following: Software isn't about "having an idea" so much as the execution. The idea that software is about an idea always seems to be promoted by non-tech types who don't make software (usually MBAs or lawyers who are frustrated because they can't express their creativity).
• SoftwareMaven 15y ago
  I would love this. I experiment far more with mobile apps, but still often find myself thinking "nah, not now". Unfortunately, there isn't a good way to flag something and come back later armed with more information. Let me know if you build it!
• sathishmanohar 15y ago
  Great!! I have this idea in my list of ideas as well. I had thought about this for sometime, and will share a few of thoughts. 1. Ownership of the resultant product: If some likes an idea, and builds upon it? who owns the products? Does, the person with the idea owns a part of it? I hope US has first to invent system, that means the person who first runs with that idea, has the most advantage. How do we tackle this? 2. Incentive for the thinker: I'm willing to share ideas that I'm not ready to work on. But, others may find it useful and that may also go on to become a billion dollar business. But, I might like to have something out of it, not money necessarily, may be a recognition that the inception happened in my mind. 3. Business model possibilities: Site can employ intention marketers, which can work with the people with ideas to sell license them on their behalf, which may also be a viable model. Note: Invention marketers, not patent lawyers or market research approaches. Invention marketers only get paid when the idea get licensed. 4. Pairing Geeks and Non-Geeks Service: Since, these you are talking about tech products, the site can pair non-developers with great ideas with great developers to get a prototype or product of the ground. The structure could be like revenue share on the product, this way people with idea doesn't have to invest a lot of money at the beginning, and they will get developers, who believe in the idea, might be a success. This has great potential IMO, when done right.
  • anujkk 15y ago
    Thanks for your valuable feedback. 1. Idea is not a product. If the concept is patentable, patent it first to protect your assets. The whole concept of this tool will be to share and validate idea, or to just share the idea that you can't develop due to lack of skills, time but would like to use. 2. Again, one can't claim he owns an idea. A person not using this tool can come up with same idea. You earn money for execution of idea not the idea itself. The best that can be done is to have a HN like karma system. If developer of product wants, he may give credit to you but can't be forced to do so. 3. I'm planning to make a twitter like "follower" system where the followers can be categorized in developers,designers,funder,promoter etc. Idea owner can contact them to form a group to kickstart a project. It can be excellent for open source project ideas. 4. As mentioned in point 3, it can be done but negotiation can't be done just on basis of idea. It is out of scope of this tool. We can add a feature to keep ideas private and share it with limited people and make them agree to a Non-disclosure agreement first. Not advisable but can be done if required
• angryasian 15y ago
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-R_ZlGO21NdE9HSWRkbjNyUGRxS2JIV3NxYVdiaXc&hl=en_US#gid=2 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-R_ZlGO21NdE9... this spread sheet was posted on HN sometime ago. You can have a billion ideas, its more about execution. More than likely if you didn't think of the idea organically or have some passion in the idea, then it really doesn't matter. Even if you're doing for customer dev purposes, its still a hard sell to get people to participate. Look through the spreadsheet i posted here, and really is your app really solving any problem ?
• damncabbage 15y ago
  Not quite what you're looking for, but may be useful regardless: http://builditwith.me http://builditwith.me
• GeneralMaximus 15y ago
  There's http://www.reddit.com/r/SomebodyMakeThis http://www.reddit.com/r/SomebodyMakeThis, which is moderately active.