Solving Problems Like Steve

When Apple was designing a way to burn movies to a DVD, the engineers presented an overly complicated user interface. Steve Jobs took one look at it and said it was crap. He then drew an empty rectangle and said: “This is your design”.

The simplicity on the front end allowed the consumer to just drag a movie file into the box and click “Burn” and instantly create a DVD. The simplicity is something that can be seen in every product that Apple has released.

You can spot problems in the marketplace every day, In the apps that you use, websites you visit or tools that you have. The quickest way to find your startup idea is to take a look at the tools you are already using and see how they can be simplified.

Maybe you are experiencing issues with a current SaaS product that is overly complicated for the result. The UI is awful, and it takes more clicks than should be necessary to achieve your end goal. Chances are good that if you are experiencing this problem so are others.

Using this shortcut to finding you startup idea also has the benefit of a validated market. A market that understands the need for the solution.

Your startup idea doesn’t have to be unique, it just has to solve the problem better. Taking something complex and simplifying the process is the quickest way to value.