Getting feedback for your product is hard. But here's something even harder: knowing which feedback to actually act on.
You've probably been there, building in public and/or asking everyone for their opinion, getting conflicting advice. The truth? Not all feedback are equal. Some voices deserve your attention way more than others.
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Should I use friends' and family’s feedback?
Short answer: No.
Look, your friends and family mean well. They want to support you. But here's the problem: they're not your users. They're not your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). They'll tell you everything looks great because they love you, not because your product solves their problem.
Their feedback is biased by their relationship with you, not by genuine product need. I’d avoid yourself the confusion and skip this source entirely when making product decisions.
Is building for myself a good idea?
This one's tricky and kind of a yes and no situation.
Starting by solving your own problem? That's actually pretty smart. Many successful products began this way. You understand the pain point deeply because you live it.
But here's where it gets dangerous: just because it solves your problem doesn't mean others will pay for it the way you make it. You're still just one data point. Your personal preferences might not scale to a broader market.
Use yourself as the initial inspiration, but don't stop there. You need to validate that others share your problem and are willing to pay to solve it, and I don’t my ChatGPT, I mean people.
Should I trust feedback from successful founders?
This is where things get interesting.
When you share your journey on Twitter, LinkedIn (please don’t), Reddit… you'll find genuinely helpful people offering advice. These folks are generous with their time, and they seem to "get it".
Listen to them, but with caution.
They're still not your ICP. They're helpful observers, not desperate customers searching for your solution, otherwise they would have tried it. Take notes, consider their perspective, and make sure their suggestions align with your vision.
Think of social media feedback as valuable context, not gospel truth.