Ask HN: Any SaaS idea to share? Recently we got 2 ask HN related to SaaS business [0] [1]. This time I'm curious if you have any SaaS business idea that you don't plan to pursue? And if so, feel free to share it here. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11924009 [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11937132 |
So instead looking for an idea try looking for a community and try to understand it. Study it, see what they do, how they do and what they really need. Don't ask them what they need, or if they have an idea because they might not know.
Once you understand them you can start crystallizing an idea. It might be bad, you start (in)validating assumptions, pivotating and iterating through those steps until you reach to the good "idea".
An idea you get from somebody else is in the best case scenario one which identifies a need. You still have to validate it, which is the hard part. And you still have to understand your customers which is even harder.
The successful one man side-projects are successful because they are started by passion by people who follow those steps sometimes without even knowing it. They are annoyed by something or they need something which does not exist. They create it first for them and for people like them.
Does anyone have an idea like that? Thank you.
Write it natively for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and Windows Phone so it performs well.
Emphasis mine:
- Wikipedia: Software as a service is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted.
- Dictionary.com: Software as a Service: a software distribution method in which a service provider gives customers access through the Internet to applications, usually ones developed and owned by the provider
- techterms.com: Stands for "Software as a Service." SaaS is software that is deployed over the Internet rather than installed on a computer. It is often used for enterprise applications that are distributed to multiple users. SaaS applications typically run within a Web browser, which means users only need a compatible browser in order to access the software.
- Salesforce.com: Software as a service (or SaaS) is a way of delivering applications over the Internet—as a service. Instead of installing and maintaining software, you simply access it via the Internet, freeing yourself from complex software and hardware management.
Sure, desktop apps can be subscription based, but that isn't the same as SaaS. The second S in SaaS is "service" as in, you are providing something more than just the software. With your example of Office365, there is a web based component, and the accompanying storage to go with it.
So given that the post I replied to, was suggesting a desktop app because a previous solution had "moved to the cloud", I maintain that there is confusion about what SaaS means.