Ask HN: How do you come up with side project ideas in 2024?
Developers looking for side project ideas in 2024 are less constrained by a lack of ideas than by picking, scoping, and finishing something meaningful. Many argue the best projects come from solving your own concrete problems or pains in your work, hobbies, or daily life—often in niches where existing tools are clunky, overpriced, or don’t quite fit. Others emphasize that simple ideas are fine, execution and distribution matter more than originality, and that optimizing for learning or personal satisfaction usually works better than chasing quick monetization.
Core problem: Ideas vs. execution
- Many commenters argue the OP doesn’t lack ideas but struggles with scoping and finishing.
- Repeated theme: ideas are a small fraction of success; consistent execution, shipping, and iteration matter far more.
- Some note that losing interest after solving the “hard part” is common, and that it’s acceptable if the goal is learning rather than launching.
Where ideas come from
- Most popular strategy: solve your own concrete problems at work or in daily life (e.g., tax tools, visa/immigration helpers, photo sharing for elderly parents, leetcode prep tools, bank utilities).
- Use hobbies as inspiration (music, fitness, language learning, art, cosplay, dogs, games).
- Look for “things that suck” or are overpriced and build a simpler/better version.
- Mine existing datasets, niche forums, Discords, Facebook groups with frustrated professionals; complaints often point to unmet needs.
- Become a domain expert in a non-tech area; inefficiencies then become obvious.
Simplicity, scope, and tech choices
- Strong pushback against discarding “simple” ideas; simple products that users actually want are praised.
- Advice to aggressively minimize MVP scope, ship something fun or useful in the first weekend, and let user feedback add complexity later.
- Several note that many personal or niche tools don’t need complex backends; trying to force backend complexity can be counterproductive.
- Some share stacks and tools (e.g., Postgres with type-safe tooling, nginx-proxy/Traefik for Let’s Encrypt) but see them as secondary to product value.
Money, motivation, and goals
- Split views: some explicitly ignore monetization and optimize for joy, learning, or helping specific communities; others aim for “beer money” or niche SaaS.
- One camp says building primarily for money is demotivating; passion or personal need tends to produce better, more durable projects.
- Another camp recommends targeting validated, large markets, copying existing apps and making them cheaper/faster/nicer, and not over-romanticizing “uniqueness.”
- Distribution matters: plan where you’ll reach users (small, focused communities) instead of relying on broad platforms alone.
Improving execution
- Suggestions include: time-boxed releases, kanban/roadmaps even for solo projects, revisiting and reviving old unfinished ideas, contributing to existing open-source backends, or even buying a side project.
- Several emphasize self-awareness: pick projects aligned with what actually keeps you working—personal itch, audience feedback, or technical challenge.