Our methodology
How we find and validate problems
Every problem on gotaprob goes through the same research process. No APIs, no automation, no AI hallucination. Just real signals from real communities — checked manually before we publish anything.
Step 1 — Pick your starting domain
Start broad, then go deeper. Every problem lives somewhere in this tree. Starting with a domain keeps your research focused and makes it easier to find related problems once you're in that world.
Physical World
Digital & Knowledge
Step 2 — Research the domain
Go to these sources in order. You're looking for patterns — the same complaint showing up in multiple places is a strong signal. One mention is not a problem.
- 1.Search the topic in Reddit search
- 2.Find the 2-3 most relevant subreddits
- 3.Sort by Top / This Month or Top / This Year
- 4.Look for posts with 50+ upvotes and comments like "same problem here"
- 5.Search "[topic] + spreadsheet" and "[topic] + frustrating"
Review sites (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot)
Second stop- 1.Find the category of software closest to the problem
- 2.Filter reviews to 1–3 stars only
- 3.Read the "What do you dislike?" field on every review
- 4.Look for recurring complaints — these are your proof signals
- 5.Note the names of tools people switched away from and why
Google Trends
Validate demand- 1.Search your core problem keyword
- 2.Check: is the trend rising, flat, or falling?
- 3.Look at "Related queries" → filter to Rising
- 4.Compare 2-3 keyword variations to find the most searched phrasing
- 5.Check by country if the problem seems regional
App Store reviews
Underrated source- 1.Find the top 2-3 apps in the relevant category
- 2.Filter to 1-2 star reviews
- 3.People are brutally honest here — granular, specific pain
- 4.Note recurring complaints that mention what's missing
- 5.Cross-reference with the Play Store for the same apps
Step 3 — Run it through the gates
Before writing anything up, the problem has to pass all four gates. If it fails one, either dig deeper until you find the evidence, or drop it and move on.
Is it a real problem or just an inconvenience?
Pass if:
- Multiple people complain about it unprompted in forums
- There are existing workarounds (spreadsheets, duct-tape solutions)
- People have tried to pay for a solution and been disappointed
Fail if:
- Only one person mentioned it
- The problem only exists in extreme edge cases
- People shrug it off and move on — no real friction
Is it large enough to matter?
Pass if:
- Searchable subreddit exists with 50k+ members and active posts
- Multiple Facebook groups focused on this topic
- Google Trends shows consistent or growing interest
Fail if:
- Audience is fewer than ~10,000 people globally
- Problem is highly regional and unlikely to scale
- Interest is declining on Google Trends
Does the gap actually exist?
Pass if:
- Existing solutions are either too expensive, too complex, or too old
- Top-rated tools have 1-3 star reviews citing this specific gap
- Forum threads asking for solutions get "I use a spreadsheet" as the answer
Fail if:
- A good free or cheap tool already exists and people know about it
- The gap is acknowledged but Google just changed their product to fix it
- The "gap" is actually just a preference, not a structural problem
Can you document it with specifics?
Pass if:
- You can cite at least 2 specific forum threads with real discussion
- You found at least one stat (market size, percentage, dollar amount)
- You can name specific existing tools and explain exactly why each falls short
Fail if:
- Your proof is "I feel like people have this problem"
- You can only find one vague mention of the issue
- The evidence is all secondhand or AI-generated
Step 4 — Score it
Each problem gets scored across five dimensions, 1–10. We set these manually based on our research — no algorithms, no APIs, no data that goes stale. The scores are our honest editorial judgment.
Market Size
How many people have this problem?
Score: 1–4
Niche audience < 100k
Score: 7–10
Millions affected globally
Pain Intensity
How badly does it hurt?
Score: 1–4
Minor inconvenience, people shrug
Score: 7–10
Active complaints, money lost, time wasted
Solution Gap
How bad are existing options?
Score: 1–4
Decent free tool exists but unknown
Score: 7–10
Nothing under $100/mo, all enterprise-only
Timing
Why is this relevant now?
Score: 1–4
Problem has existed unchanged for 10 years
Score: 7–10
Growing fast, new trigger (remote work, AI, regulation)
Competition Risk
How crowded is this?
Score: 1–4
Big players actively investing here
Score: 7–10
No focused product, only workarounds
The overall score (1–100) is a weighted sum of all five dimensions.
Step 5 — Write it up
If the problem passed all four gates and you've scored it, you're ready to write. Use the MDX template. The goal is to make the reader feel the problem — not hand them a business plan.
Writing rules
- →Describe the problem as if you live it — specific, not abstract
- →Every stat needs a source — even a rough one ("~18M landlords according to NAR")
- →Proof signals must be real — name the subreddit, the thread type, the volume
- →No solutions — you are not building a business plan
- →No revenue projections — you are not IdeaBrowser
- →The "Go Research This" section must have real search queries someone can copy-paste
- →"Questions Worth Asking" should be things you genuinely don't know the answer to
Ready to submit a problem?
Found something that passes all four gates? We'd love to feature it.
Submit a problem