Finding the perfect side project idea can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
It's hard to know where, or how, to start coming up with them!
But, the truth is, there are many different ways you can come up with ideas for a side project. I've decided to round up several of them in this article, with examples.
Here we go!
1: Combine Two Things Until Something Clicks
One of the most common ways startups are born is by combining two things -- think "Uber for [X]" ideas.
It doesn't have to involve an existing business, necessarily -- combining gaming and coffee is one idea for a business that doesn't have to involve any existing startups -- but the goal is to combine two things that might seem unrelated, but have a common link between them.
Using the gaming + coffee example, gamers like to have sharp focus when they game. Coffee has caffeine, which can help improve focus. You could even add other things to the coffee grounds to enhance the focus-promoting effect of the caffeine! Though baristas and gamers don't appear to have anything in common on the surface, digging deeper reveals a common love of caffeine's effects.
If you follow this train of thought, you can start with a random word generator, and put words together until something clicks in your mind.
(Example website to help with this: http://sideprojectgenerator.com/)
2: Scratch an Itch
Of course, the most meaningful side projects to you will be ones that solve a problem for you -- for instance, if you have a need for a to-do list app that has a specific feature, creating that app would scratch an itch for you.
This is one of the most powerful ways to come up with side project ideas -- examine your own wants and needs until you find something that can be solved with a side project!
Using the to-do list app, it's possible you want to create a to-do list app that has both a graphical interface and command-line interaction. Sometimes you want to click a checkbox, sometimes you want to work from your terminal. This would be a great example of a side project!
If you can't think of any problems that need solving, that's quite alright! You can always try the other methods listed here.
3: Start with a Category, and Find a Niche
Sometimes you just want to build a side project, and don't particularly care what it is -- you're invested in the process, not the product. That's quite alright!
If this is you, then I would suggest the following: start with a category, and then find a niche.
It's very similar to starting a business, actually; you need to find your niche and your angle before you start digging in.
Categories include:
Blogs
Podcasts
YouTube channels
Websites
Web Apps
To find a niche, you can either think of your own hobbies or passions, or use a tool like Google's Keyword Planner to find keywords that have high search counts, but have relatively low competition for ads -- this indicates a less-crowded space. For instance, "coffee shop near me" has low competition; creating a coffee shop locator might be a viable app to try! (Try searching the keyword yourself and see what comes up!)
This process will net you, at the very least, the start of a project idea -- and you can expand from there!
I hope this blog post helped you some -- while I provided no actual ideas here, I have several scattered throughout this website, including an idea generator! If you're looking for somewhere to start, I recommend starting there!
Thanks for reading, and take care!