A great app idea starts with recognizing a real, recurring problem—often one you've personally experienced or observed in others. When a frustrating or inefficient process comes up repeatedly, it points to an opportunity. For example, the hassle of coordinating who’s attending weekly pickup games led to the creation of GameDay Pro. From there, it’s essential to pinpoint your target user: a specific group that would benefit from the solution on a daily or weekly basis. Think busy parents juggling schedules or golf organizers arranging foursomes—people who need an easier way to get things done.

Once you’ve defined the problem and the user, look for market demand by checking online searches, app store trends, and community discussions. If people are searching for a solution but only find poorly rated apps or gaps in functionality, that’s your window. Next, find your unique angle—what current solutions lack and how you’ll do it better, such as replacing clunky emails with streamlined SMS confirmations. Before building, test your idea with a simple prototype and real user feedback. If users say it’s valuable and would pay for it—and if it saves time, money, or stress on a recurring basis—you’ve got the foundation of a viable app with monetization potential.