Coming up with a side project idea is the most important part. As a rule of thumb if your idea sucks you will not succeed, therefor idea is essential so how to come up with one?

Answer: You need to solve a problem.

Problem Discovery

You need to solve a common problem people are facing every day. So the question becomes —how to find a problem to solve?

that’s a good question, the answer is divided into two parts:

1. Theoretical discovery

Pay attention to the problems you are facing

The founders have a deep understanding of the problem, so you can focus on the everyday problems you have personally experienced. Start by asking these questions:

Is there anything to improve?
Is there anything I would like to change?
What are the most frustrating or time-consuming aspects of my daily routine or work?
Are there any products or services that you have used that were not up to your expectations?

By focusing on your own experiences and observations, you can gain insight into the challenges and needs of the market and potentially find a problem worth solving with your product.

Listen to other people's problems

To find a valuable and unique problem to solve with your startup, it is important to listen to other people's problems. By gathering insights from potential customers, industry experts, and other stakeholders, you can identify problems worth solving and ensure that your solution is valuable and in demand.

You don’t need to conduct formal interviews, just be curious and have empathy toward them even if it’s a small problem.

The more frequent your problem is and the more people are served by your solution the higher the returns will be.

Reframe existing problems

In our daily lives, there are often inadequate solutions to big problems. For example, toilet paper may not be the best option for hygiene. There may be other solutions, such as bidets or toilet sprayers, that could improve on existing solutions.

By reframing existing problems, you can identify opportunities to create better solutions and guide the direction of your project.

Read books and watch Sci-fi movies:

One way to find potential problems to solve is to read science fiction books and watch sci-fi films. These mediums can help you anticipate the problems that people may face shortly.

By understanding these future challenges, you can identify opportunities to create solutions and guide the direction of your startup. Science fiction can be a valuable source of inspiration and insight for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Expose yourself to more problems!

It is important to expose yourself to more problems. This can include learning new skills, meeting people from different cultures, starting a new sport, or traveling around the world.

2. Practical discovery

Here are some strategies you can use to apply a practical discovery approach to finding problems to solve:

Google Trends

You can gain insights into the popularity and relevance of keywords and phrases in the global market, and use this information to identify potential problems worth solving. you can better anticipate the needs and challenges of potential customers, and create solutions that are valuable and in demand

Go to the Google Trends website (https://trends.google.com/) and sign in with your Google account.
In the "Explore" section, enter a keyword or phrase related to your industry or area of interest. This could be a specific product, service, technology, or problem that you are interested in.
Use the left-hand side of the page filters to refine your search by location, time period, category, and other factors. This can help you narrow down the search results and focus on the trends that are most relevant to your startup.
Review the search results to see the popularity of the keyword or phrase over time, as well as related topics and queries. This can give you an idea of the trends and topics that are currently relevant to your industry or area of interest.
Use the "Insights" tab to see the top related queries and rising related topics for your keyword or phrase. This can help you identify potential problems or needs that are emerging in the market.
Use the "Interest by subregion" and "Interest over time" charts to see how the popularity of your keyword or phrase varies by location and over time. This can help you understand the regional and temporal dynamics of the market and identify potential problems worth solving.
Use the "Interest by category" chart to see how the popularity of your keyword or phrase varies by category. This can help you understand the broader context of the market and identify potential problems worth solving.

Quora

Quora is a community-based platform where people ask questions and seek solutions to their problems. It is also a valuable tool for finding potential problems to solve.

Use the search bar on Quora to search for keywords or phrases related to your industry or area of interest. This can help you discover the most popular topics and questions in the market, and identify potential problems that people are discussing.
Follow relevant topics on Quora, and pay attention to the questions that are being asked by users on these topics. This can help you understand the challenges and needs of the market, and identify potential problems that are worth solving.
Ask questions yourself. To do this, click on the "Add Question" button on Quora, and ask a question related to your industry or area of interest. For example, you could ask, "Which problems do you face when..." or "What's a common problem that you face every day?" By asking these types of questions, you can gather insights and feedback from other users.

Twitter

Using social media to find potential problems to solve is a common strategy. Twitter is a particularly good platform for this, as many users use it to share their problems and ask for solutions. When you see someone tweet about a problem they are having, you can take note of it in your diary. This can help you track the problems that people are facing, and identify potential opportunities for your next project.

People who are looking for solutions on Twitter often tweet things like:

"I need help with [problem]"

"Does anyone know how to [solve this problem]?"

"Is there a [product or service] that can help with [problem]?"

Reddit is a popular online platform for discussing and sharing content on a wide variety of topics. It is organized into communities called subreddits, which are dedicated to specific interests or topics.

To use Reddit to search for problems to solve with your side project, you can follow these steps:

Sign up for a Reddit account and verify your email address.
Use the search bar in the upper right corner of the Reddit homepage to search for keywords related to your side project or the type of problem you are looking to solve.
Look for subreddits related to your topic of interest. You can find subreddits by clicking on the "Communities" tab on the Reddit homepage, or by searching for specific subreddits using the search bar.
Once you have found a relevant subreddit, take some time to browse through the posts and discussions to get a sense of the types of problems that people are facing in that community.
If you see a problem that you think you can help solve with your side project, you can join the discussion and offer your suggestions or advice. Alternatively, you can start a new post in the subreddit asking for suggestions or ideas for problems to solve with your side project.
Keep an eye on the subreddit and check back regularly for new discussions or posts that may be relevant to your side project. This will help you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and challenges facing the community, and give you opportunities to offer your expertise or assistance.