HACKER Q&A
📣 jackzhuo

How do you discover real user needs without relying on keyword tools?


I’ve been using tools like SEMrush and Similarweb to find keywords for small tools, but I increasingly feel stuck:

- Most “easy” keywords have very small volume - Harder keywords often point to domains I don’t actually understand - Even when I find a keyword, the real user intent is often unclear - There’s a big gap between a keyword and knowing who the users are, where they hang out, and how to talk to them

SEO feels passive, while talking to real users feels active — but much harder to systematize.

For those who’ve built small tools or indie products: how do you approach demand discovery today? What did you replace keyword-driven thinking with, if anything?

  👤 austin-cheney Accepted Answer ✓
This is soooo challenging because it’s a two part problem.

1. You have to be in a position to see the great frustration, inefficiency, or obstruction. You will know it when you see it. It will be scary obvious when you do see it while everyone else just continues accepting broken practices as the accepted reality. It takes a special person in the right place at the right time to accomplish this, which is like a magical opportunity.

2. That first step is like a rare constellation alignment of the stars, and yet as rare as it is it’s the easy part. The challenging part is convincing people your solution is better.

👤 CrzyLngPwd
That seems like a backwards approach to me.

Surely you make something you need, and if you need it, others will too.

👤 KellyCriterion
To find out user needs, you need to understand the users - then you can craft a service around it and the relevant words will be obviously if you are deep down in the context. Best case is to be an expert in some field and see something that wasnt solved so far with marketavailable tools.