Evidence-first methodology
How ProblemSeekr Identifies Problems Worth Solving
ProblemSeekr is not an idea generator. It is a structured system for extracting, validating, and prioritizing real problems that people repeatedly complain about in public - before you invest time or money building solutions.
1. Data sources
We analyze large volumes of public, permissionless conversations where people naturally describe friction, workarounds, and unmet needs.
- Public discussion forums and communities
- Product feedback threads and complaints
- Workflow, ops, and “how do you handle X?” conversations
We intentionally avoid surveys, prompts, or hypothetical questions. Everything starts from unsolicited, real-world pain.
2. Noise filtering
Not every complaint is a business opportunity. Before anything becomes a “problem brief,” it passes multiple exclusion filters.
- One-off rants with no repetition
- Pure feature requests for existing products
- Problems that are vague, unserious, or non-actionable
- Complaints with no clear user or context
What remains are problems that show repeated structure, intent, and frustration - not just emotion.
3. Problem clustering
Individual complaints are not useful on their own. We group similar expressions of pain into clusters that represent a shared underlying problem.
- Different wording → same underlying workflow failure
- Different tools → same structural bottleneck
- Different roles → same unmet job-to-be-done
Each cluster becomes a single problem brief with supporting evidence.
4. Severity scoring
Severity is a directional score that helps you prioritize which problems are more likely to support a business.
Scores consider factors such as:
- Frequency and repetition of the problem
- How much time, money, or risk the problem creates
- Whether users actively seek workarounds or alternatives
- How emotionally charged or urgent the pain appears
A higher score does not guarantee success - but it signals stronger willingness to pay if solved well.
5. Expert reviewed problems
Some problem briefs receive an additional expert review layer.
Expert review evaluates:
- Business model viability
- Market maturity and saturation risk
- Implementation complexity
- Common failure modes
Expert review does not replace validation - it reduces blind spots.
What this is not
- An AI idea generator
- A list of guaranteed startup ideas
- A replacement for customer interviews
ProblemSeekr helps you choose what to investigate - not skip validation.
How to use this methodology
- Start with a public problem brief or Explore.
- Run the guided flow to score and shape the opportunity.
- Validate with real users using the evidence as a starting point.