Link: https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-come-up-with-a-marvelous-idea-in-technology-or-finance
Great ideas for startups really boil down to one question: What do people want that they can’t get?
You have to have empathy for other people. Most people go about coming up with a startup idea by just trying to think of capabilities. They think: Well, now I can do X, and nobody has mixed that with Y yet, so how about that?
Unfortunately this line of reasoning results in something like this:
The inventor of this gadget solved no problems for other people, but solved a problem for themselves — that of needing an idea. That’s the wrong way to come up with an idea.
So be more outwardly oriented. Think about what other people need, and whether you can put together a product or service that will make them happy, or make them more money.