Beginner Level 2: Finding Great Ideas
Chapter Overview
Step 1: Establish Criteria — What Makes Users Willing to Pay
Why is this chapter important?
Some might find it strange: "Isn't this a course teaching Vibe Coding? Why learn 'finding needs' first? Can't we just start coding?"
Indeed, many programming courses on the market teach you to build projects directly: make a Todo List, a calculator, a personal blog... These projects can help you get familiar with syntax and tools, but the problem is:
Wrong direction, the deeper you go, the more wrong you become.
Imagine:
- You spend two weeks building a "calendar management system," but there are already 100 better ones on the market
- You make a "calorie photo calculator," but users uninstall it after one use
- You create a "personal expense tracker," but even you can't be bothered to use it
After completing these projects, can you put them on your resume? Probably not, because they don't solve real problems or create real value.
The harsher truth is: since we're investing time in learning, why not aim for better results?
Since Vibe Coding lets us quickly turn ideas into products, we should learn to find ideas worth building. Train yourself in the most practical way — not by making "practice projects," but by making "products people want to use."
That's why we need to learn "finding great ideas" first.
In my opinion, time is precious. If you're going to do something, do it right, otherwise why not just play? As a responsibility, I'll do my best to support you in achieving excellence.
Even if no one believes you can do well, I'll steadfastly hope for your success. You've chosen vibecoding to build products, so let's see how far you can go!
Opening: The Story of Independent Developer Xiao Ming
Xiao Ming is a programmer with three years of experience. One day he suddenly thought: why not make a fitness APP to help users create workout plans and record training data? This idea excited him — he finally found a project he could work on.
Over the next year, Xiao Ming poured almost all his spare time into it. He built a fully-featured APP — course modules, check-in systems, community features, data analysis — everything it should have. The interface looked pretty good too, at least he thought so.
On launch day, Xiao Ming was full of anticipation. He spent quite a bit on promotion, and in the first month, 50,000 people downloaded it. Looks like a good start, right?
But problems soon emerged. After downloading, users would uninstall after one use. The 7-day retention was only 5%. He added some paid features, but almost no users were willing to pay. What frustrated him more was that mature products like Keep, Bohe Health, and FitTime had more complete features and better content — why would users switch to his APP?
After a year, Xiao Ming lost 200,000 yuan.
He sat in front of his computer, looking at the dismal data in the backend, with only one question in his mind: My APP is pretty good, why does nobody use it? Even more, why won't anyone pay for it?
Xiao Ming's failure wasn't because his technology was bad, nor because the product was poorly made. Honestly, his APP had comprehensive features and a nice interface.
The problem was at the starting point.
He never asked the most basic question: Do users really need this?
He saw the fitness APP market was huge, Keep was valued at hundreds of millions, and thought this was a great opportunity. But he didn't clarify a few things: Why do users need another fitness APP? Compared to Keep, what's my differentiation? Are users willing to pay for this?
Wrong direction, the deeper you go, the more wrong you become. He spent a year making a wrong direction increasingly perfect, only to move further from success.
What we'll do in this chapter
In this chapter, let's help Xiao Ming review what happened. Let's see where his problem really was, and then together find product directions that people are actually willing to pay for.
We'll proceed in three steps:
Act 1: Find Real Needs — First understand what kind of needs users are willing to pay for
Act 2: Dig Out Great Ideas — Learn to mine valuable business opportunities from ordinary ideas
Act 3: AI Dialogue Refinement — Use AI to turn ideas into actionable product plans
Act 1: Finding Real Needs
Xiao Ming was frustrated but didn't give up. He started reflecting on a question: What kind of needs are users actually willing to pay for?
Xiao Ming's Confusion: Why Won't Users Pay?
He went to find a few friends who had used his APP, wanting to hear their honest thoughts.
Friend A said: "Your APP is pretty good, but I'm already using Keep. Why would I switch?"
Friend B said: "You want me to record every workout — that's too much trouble. I'm too lazy to do that."
Friend C was more direct: "The free features are enough. Why would I pay?"
These answers made Xiao Ming suddenly understand where the problem was.
First problem: Users won't switch because existing solutions are already good enough. Mature products like Keep already have comprehensive features, and users have formed habits. The switching cost is high. Why would users switch to your similar product?
Second problem: Users aren't willing to change habits. Recording workouts is too troublesome for users. If a product requires users to change more than 3 habits, it will likely fail.
Third problem: Too many free alternatives. Your features are too generic with no unique value. Users can't find a reason to pay.
What is a Real Need?
Xiao Ming started studying successful products that make users willing to pay. He found a common point: these products don't solve "I think it's useful" needs, but needs that users are willing to pay for, willing to change behavior for, and willing to endure inconvenience for.
In other words, real needs are voted on by users with their feet, not dreamed up by product managers.
Case Studies: Products That Make Users Pay
Xiao Ming studied several successful cases, trying to understand what pain points they really captured.
Meicai: Let Small Restaurant Owners Sleep Better
On the surface, what Meicai does is simple: help restaurants buy vegetables. But if you think carefully, why would restaurant owners use it?
Because small restaurant owners have to get up at 4 AM every day to go to wholesale markets. It's exhausting, and they often get cheated. What Meicai does isn't simple "e-commerce selling vegetables" — it restructured the entire supply chain, letting small restaurant owners sleep better.
The more painful the pain point, the stronger the willingness to pay. The time and energy saved is more valuable than the money saved on vegetables.
Xiaohongshu: Solving Choice Paralysis
On the surface, Xiaohongshu is "sharing overseas shopping experiences." But why are users willing to spend time reading notes on it?
Because facing a sea of products, users don't know what's worth buying and what isn't. They need someone they trust to help them filter, save time, and avoid pitfalls.
What Xiaohongshu really solves are two deep pain points: choice paralysis and lack of trust. Users are willing to pay for "saving time" and "avoiding pitfalls" — that's why Xiaohongshu succeeded.
After seeing these cases, Xiao Ming had an important discovery.
Users never pay for "features" — they pay for "solving fear" and "eliminating anxiety." Meicai solves small restaurant owners' fear of the hardship of early morning procurement. Xiaohongshu solves users' fear of buying the wrong things.
Fear drives payment. Anxiety drives action.
Three Layers of Needs: Pain Points, Delight Points, Itch Points
Xiao Ming researched further and found that user needs can be divided into three types:
Pain Point — Fear Driven
Essence: Problems users are currently experiencing that make them feel pain, anxiety, or inconvenience. Not solving them causes significant discomfort, or even threatens survival or safety.
Examples:
- Diabetics don't know how many carbs will spike their blood sugar (Fear: Health threat)
- Small restaurant owners get up at 4 AM to go to wholesale markets (Fear: Survival hardship)
Key: Users are willing to pay for this because not solving it is "very painful."
Delight Point — Instant Gratification
Essence: Users have a need that can be immediately satisfied, producing instant pleasure.
Examples:
- Food delivery in 30 minutes (Instant satisfaction of hunger)
- One-click generation of beautiful PPT (Time-saving and effort-saving delight)
Key: Making users "delighted" is key to retention, but as a standalone payment point it's weak.
Itch Point — Virtual Self
Essence: Users want to become better, cooler, more refined, but it's not necessary. Satisfying it makes them happy; not satisfying it is fine too.
Examples:
- Recording how much water you drink each day (Imagined disciplined life)
- Using AI to add artistic filters to photos (Imagined artistic taste)
Key: Users have weak willingness to pay for "itch points" because not solving it doesn't matter.
What's the correct priority ranking? A good suggestion is: Pain Points > Delight Points > Itch Points
Why?
- Pain points are survival needs: Not solving them means death (or great discomfort). Users have to pay. They're "painkillers."
- Delight points are instant rewards: Make users delighted, and they'll come. They're "heroin" (in the positive sense of addictive mechanisms).
- Itch points are desire satisfaction: Nice to have, easiest to cut. They're "vitamins" or "luxury goods."
Key Insight: Many product managers make the mistake of marketing itch point products using pain point methods.
For example: "Recording water intake will make you healthier" — drinking water is indeed healthy, but not recording it won't make you unhealthy. This is packaging an itch point as a pain point. Users won't buy it.
5-Step Method to Validate Real Needs
Xiao Ming thought: When I have an idea, how do I quickly judge if it's worth investing in?
He learned the 5-step judgment method commonly used by product managers (detailed content in Appendix A):
Step 1: Talk directly with real users to understand their current approach
Find 10 target users. Ask them: "How do you currently solve this problem?" If users are already using some method, the problem really exists. If users say they don't need to solve it, it might not be a real need.
Step 2: Analyze users' existing alternatives and find your advantages
Users might currently use other products, Excel, rely on memory, or just endure without solving. You need to figure out the drawbacks of these solutions. Your product needs to be much better than them for users to switch.
Step 3: Test if users are willing to pay for your product
Do pre-sales or collect deposits. Count the percentage of users willing to pay deposits (earning money early indicates correct need):
- Over 10%: Need is real, worth investing
- 5% to 10%: Need exists but needs refinement
- Below 5%: Need might not be valid
Step 4: Estimate how big this market is and if it can make money
Calculate three numbers: Total target users × Willingness to pay × Average transaction value. Multiply them to get market size. If the market is too small, it might not be worth doing.
Step 5: Think about what moat your product has to prevent copying
Consider these barriers: Technical difficulty, network effects, brand, cost advantages. These can help you maintain competitiveness long-term.
Act Summary: Xiao Ming's Takeaways
Standards for Real Needs
- The most important standard is users are willing to pay.
- Users are willing to change behavior for it.
- Without a solution, users would suffer significant loss.
Avoid Fake Needs
- Itch points aren't pain points; they can't be treated as real needs.
- Markets that are too small can't support a business model.
- Solutions more complex than the problem will be abandoned by users.
Priority Ranking
- The real priority is: Pain Points > Delight Points > Itch Points.
Act Output
- I understand what real needs are.
- I've mastered the three-layer classification of needs: pain points, delight points, itch points.
- I've learned the 5-step judgment method to validate needs.
Act 2: Digging Out Great Ideas
Xiao Ming now knows what real needs are, but he still doesn't know where to start. He can't just imagine a need out of thin air, right?
He decided to start from what he knows best — the people and things around him.
Start from Yourself: Xiao Ming's Sister
Xiao Ming thought of his sister. She just had a baby and keeps complaining about having no time to exercise. She can't lose the belly fat and is very anxious about it.
One day Xiao Ming asked her: "How are you currently solving the fitness problem?"
His sister sighed and said: "I follow Keep, but those exercises aren't suitable for postpartum bodies. After doing them, my lower back hurts even more. Go to a gym? No one to help watch the baby. Hire a personal trainer? One session costs 300-500 yuan, too expensive. Exercise blindly on my own? I'm afraid of getting injured."
After hearing this, Xiao Ming felt this might be the real need he was looking for.
His sister's troubles are actually quite specific: Fragmented time, needs to care for the baby, no uninterrupted time for exercise; Physical limitations, diastasis recti, pelvic floor muscle laxity, can't do intense exercise; Psychological anxiety, body shape changed, worried husband will dislike it, socially insecure; Information is too chaotic, too much information online, don't know what exercises are suitable for postpartum; And loneliness, no one understands their situation, lack of peer support.
These are all real pain points, not "nice to have" itch points.
Horizontal Segmentation: Needs of Different User Groups
Xiao Ming realized that the "fitness APP" idea was too broad. He wanted to help everyone exercise, but the problem is, everyone's needs are different.
He did a horizontal segmentation, dividing "people who want to exercise" into several categories (detailed method in Appendix B):
Fitness muscle-building crowd needs precise protein intake calculation, manual recording is too troublesome, their willingness to pay is high, pursuing efficiency. Diabetics must strictly control carbs, but it's hard to estimate when eating out, this is a rigid need, willing to pay, high repurchase rate. Postpartum moms want to recover their figure but don't have time to calculate, need simple solutions, time-sensitive, need one-stop service. Food delivery crowd eats takeout every day not knowing how many calories consumed, this is a high-frequency scenario, but medium willingness to pay. Graduate exam students need efficient study tools but don't know what to use, this is a rigid need, but low average transaction value.
Xiao Ming chose the "postpartum moms" group. Why?
First, he himself is a user — his sister is a postpartum mom, so he naturally understands this group's pain points. Second, the pain point is very painful — postpartum recovery anxiety is real, not a "nice to have" itch point. Third, strong willingness to pay — moms are willing to spend money to recover their figure. Fourth, relatively less competition — there's no product specifically for postpartum moms on the market.
Product Manager's Segmentation Logic
Why is segmenting user groups so important?
Because generic tools are hard to win. Big platforms have already occupied the "generic" market, and it's hard for you to surpass them in features. Specific user groups have more painful needs — postpartum moms' need for exercise is a rigid need, while regular exercisers just think "it would be nice." Serving a small group well is easier than pleasing everyone to build reputation. Specific user groups' pain points are more concrete, and they're more willing to pay for solutions.
Vertical Deep Dive: Complete User Scenarios
After finding the user group, Xiao Ming didn't stop at the single function of "postpartum exercise." He wanted to understand users' complete scenarios more deeply (detailed method in Appendix C).
He observed his sister's day.
6 AM, the baby just fell asleep, sister has 30 minutes free. She wants to exercise but fears waking the baby, and doesn't know what movements are safe.
10 AM, sister is holding the baby to sleep, her lower back is sore. She wants to do some recovery exercises but her hands are occupied.
3 PM, baby is sleeping, sister wants to exercise. But her body is tired, doesn't know if she can still do it.
8 PM, sister finally has time but is very anxious. Looking at herself in the mirror, feeling like life is over, secretly crying while looking at old photos.
Xiao Ming discovered that his sister's pain point isn't "no fitness courses" but "fear and anxiety about postpartum recovery."
Product Manager's Scenario Thinking
Many people think pain points are just functional requirements, but they're not. Pain points are emotions in scenarios plus willingness to pay.
When postpartum moms face their changed bodies in the mirror, the real pain point isn't "not knowing how to exercise" but fear — worrying about not recovering well, leaving sequelae; Anxiety — looking at themselves in the mirror, feeling like life is over; Helplessness — not knowing where to start, no one to guide; Loneliness — others give birth easily, but I have to recover for so long.
Good product design solves emotions, not just functions. Behind emotions is the user's motivation to pay.
Value Reconstruction: From "Fitness APP" to "Postpartum Mom Recovery Assistant"
Based on the above analysis, Xiao Ming redesigned this product.
Reconstructed Product Concept: "Postpartum Mom Recovery Assistant"
Core Positioning: Not just a fitness tool, but a "personal rehabilitation coach + psychological supporter" for postpartum moms
Core Features:
Fragmented Training:
- Each session only needs 10-15 minutes
- Can exercise when baby is sleeping
- Provides movements that "can be done while holding the baby"
Postpartum-Specific Courses:
- Graded by postpartum stage (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6+ months)
- Specialized training for diastasis recti, pelvic floor muscle repair
- Every movement has "postpartum precautions" reminders
AI Movement Correction:
- Phone camera recognizes movements
- Real-time reminders like "knees too bent," "back should be straight"
- Avoid injury from incorrect movements
Psychological Support Community:
- Private community only for postpartum moms
- Share recovery progress, encourage each other
- Professional psychological counselors on board
Personalized Plans:
- Customized based on delivery method (natural/C-section), physical condition
- Considers special needs during breastfeeding
Business Model:
- Basic courses free
- Advanced courses: 99 yuan/month (includes AI movement correction, personalized plans)
- One-on-one coaching: 299 yuan/month (online guidance)
- Community membership: 199 yuan/year (includes psychological support, expert Q&A)
Competitive Barriers:
- Professionalism: Partnership with postpartum recovery institutions, medical endorsement
- Community stickiness: Postpartum moms' emotional connections are strong
- Data accumulation: More user body data means more precise plans
Market Size:
- China has about 10 million newborns annually
- Postpartum recovery market is about 50 billion yuan
- Target: Serve 1% of postpartum moms = 100,000 users
- ARPU (Average Revenue Per User): 500 yuan/year
- Potential revenue: 50 million yuan/year
Comparing the original idea with the reconstructed concept:
| Dimension | Original Idea | Reconstructed |
|---|---|---|
| Target Users | All fitness groups (broad) | Postpartum moms (precise) |
| Pain Point Solved | Recording workouts (itch point) | Postpartum recovery anxiety (pain point) |
| Competitive Barrier | Technology (easily copied) | Professionalism + Community + Data |
| Willingness to Pay | Low (many free alternatives) | High (rigid need + emotional value) |
| Expansion Space | Limited | Can expand to pregnancy, pre-pregnancy |
This is the evolution from "a feature" to "a product people pay for."
More Examples: From Ordinary Ideas to Great Ideas
Xiao Ming found this method very useful. He used the same method to analyze several other examples, wanting to see if this method is universally applicable (detailed cases in Appendix D).
Example 1: From "Calorie Measurement" to "Diabetics Eat with Peace of Mind"
The ordinary idea is photo recognition of food calories, helping people who want to lose weight control their diet. But the problem is there are already mature products like Bohe Health and MyFitnessPal on the market.
Xiao Ming did a horizontal segmentation and found the diabetic group interesting: They must strictly control carbs, but it's hard to estimate when eating out. Deep diving into their scenarios: Before meals, don't know if this dish can be eaten, worried about blood sugar spikes; During meals, need real-time reminders "how many carbs you've already had"; After meals, need to record blood sugar changes to see the relationship with diet.
The reconstructed product is called "Diabetics Eat with Peace of Mind," positioned as a "dietary safety assistant" for diabetics.
Example 2: From "News Assistant" to "Investment Research Intelligence Officer"
The ordinary idea is aggregating news from various platforms, saving the trouble of opening them one by one. But Toutiao, Tencent News, etc., already do this well.
Xiao Ming horizontally segmented and found the investment research group: They need to track industry dynamics, but information is scattered; Need to quickly filter valuable information from massive news; Need to correlate news with stock price movements.
The reconstructed product is called "Investment Research Intelligence Officer," positioned as an "intelligent assistant for investment researchers."
Act 3: AI Dialogue Refinement
After finding the direction, Xiao Ming didn't rush to code. He knew that a good idea also needs a clear execution plan.
He decided to use AI to help him refine the product concept.
Using AI to Refine Product Concepts
Xiao Ming opened ChatGPT and entered the following prompt:
I want to create a "Postpartum Mom Recovery Assistant" product.
Target users: Postpartum moms within 1 year
Core pain point: Want to recover figure but no time, don't know how to exercise safely
Main features:
1. Fragmented training (10-15 minutes per session)
2. Postpartum-specific courses
3. AI movement correction
4. Psychological support community
Please help me refine:
1. Is this product concept complete? What's missing?
2. What should be the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) features?
3. What are the potential risks and challenges?
4. How to validate market demand?AI gave detailed suggestions:
1. Product Concept Completeness Analysis:
- Missing: User acquisition channels, retention mechanisms, monetization path
- Suggestion: Add referral mechanism, achievement system, tiered membership
2. MVP Features:
- Core: 10 postpartum recovery courses + simple movement guidance
- Don't need: AI movement correction (high technical difficulty, can be added later)
- Don't need: Community (need user base first)
3. Potential Risks:
- Medical compliance risk: Postpartum recovery involves medical knowledge
- User trust: Why would users trust your courses?
- Competition: Keep might add postpartum features
4. Market Validation Methods:
- Create a landing page, collect interested users' emails
- Interview 20 postpartum moms, understand their real needs
- Pre-sell course packages, test willingness to pay
Using AI to Generate Business Plans
Xiao Ming continued to ask AI:
Based on the above analysis, please help me generate a simple business plan, including:
1. Product positioning and target users
2. Core features and MVP scope
3. Business model and monetization path
4. Market validation plan
5. Risk assessment and countermeasuresAI generated a structured business plan that Xiao Ming could directly use to communicate with potential partners or investors.
Summary: The Complete Methodology for Finding Great Ideas
Through Xiao Ming's story, we learned a complete methodology:
1. Establish Judgment Criteria
- Real needs = Users willing to pay + willing to change behavior + significant loss without solution
- Priority: Pain points > Delight points > Itch points
2. Discover Pain Points
- Start from yourself and people around you
- Horizontal segmentation: Find specific user groups
- Vertical deep dive: Understand complete user scenarios
3. Validate Needs
- Talk to real users
- Analyze existing alternatives
- Test willingness to pay
- Estimate market size
- Consider competitive barriers
4. Refine Product Concept
- Use AI to help refine ideas
- Define MVP scope
- Develop business plan
- Plan market validation
Key Takeaways
- Direction is more important than effort — Wrong direction, the more you do, the more wrong
- Real needs are voted by users — Not imagined by product managers
- Segmentation is key — Serving a small group well is better than pleasing everyone poorly
- Validate early — Don't invest heavily before validating demand
- AI is your assistant — Use AI to refine ideas, but the final judgment is yours
In the next chapter, we'll take our validated ideas and start learning how to use AI IDE to turn them into interactive product prototypes.