Ask HN: How do you decide product direction as a small team?

We are building a product, however, we don't know whether people will use it or not. We did initial user interviews (10+) and got signal that users will use something like that. We took YC advise to heart and did manual work that delivers results for our product. It is painful but we got around $500 in payments.

Now, we want to build full-scale product. However, we have been operating product on users' behalf. We don't know whether they will like it or not.

We are seeing demand in the market but it is VERY VERY Slow. I don't know whether that's just B2B market or if it our product's need.

I see competing products in adjacent arena that are working but our magic is in speed, customer service, and customizations that user can do.

How do we decide whether to build this product or if we should abandon it and look for something else?

Any insights will be helpful.

6 points | by logicalxor 1 day ago

4 comments

  • jppope 49 minutes ago
    Dan McKinley ("McFunley") is internet famous for a bunch of things including (if I remember correctly) the highest rated Stack Overflow comment of all time. He has a video that I basically share with everyone who's trying to figure out what to build (and in what order):

    https://youtu.be/SZOeV-S-2co?feature=shared

  • seowallet 19 hours ago
    It sounds like you’ve got a product that shows potential but needs more validation. I’d say keep testing with more users to get a clearer sense of demand. Even if growth is slow, if people are coming back and paying, it’s a good sign. Your strengths—speed, customer service, and customization—could be what sets you apart from competitors. It might take a bit longer in the B2B space, so don’t rush to scale too quickly. Just keep gathering feedback, fine-tuning, and testing. If it still feels right, keep pushing; if not, maybe it’s time to pivot. One more thing, the founder should not only be technical but also have domain expertise. This will help in understanding and building a product that people need.
  • bootstrpppin 1 day ago
    It sounds like you've done everything 'right' (and congrats on getting this far!)

    I wouldn't be put off by slow demand - in my experience momentum takes a long time to build (unless you're lucky enough to have timed your launch to a bubble/trend)... but momentum compounds, and given enough time/effort, it'll compound into something meaningful.

    The only caveat is that this assumes you're solving a problem people:

    - Have

    - Find truly painful

    - Are willing to spend money to fix

    If your problem space is solid, I'd personally push on and lock in for the journey...especially if your intuition is telling you that you're onto something - trust it :)

    Hope that's helpful

  • scarqin 1 day ago
    In the early days, there was little data available for us to make decisions, so trusting our intuition and keeping the cost of expansion low would get us closer to the answer.