Three signals I look for before writing any code

Code is an expensive way to discover that a problem was only interesting in theory. Before opening an editor, I look for evidence that already exists in the world.

A repeated workaround

One workaround can be personal taste. A repeated workaround is a pattern. Look for copied templates, private spreadsheets, calendar reminders, and awkward chains of messages that people keep rebuilding.

An unprompted complaint

The strongest language appears when no one is pitching a solution. Support forums, community threads, search queries, and interview stories reveal how people naturally describe the friction.

A meaningful commitment

Attention is cheap. A useful signal costs something: time for a second conversation, access to a real document, an introduction to a colleague, a deposit, or a return visit without a reminder.

Before code

Find the workaround.
Capture the exact words.
Ask for one meaningful next action.

You do not need certainty. You need enough evidence to make the next investment honest.

Questions this raises

What should you look for before writing any code?

Three signals. First, a workaround people rebuild repeatedly rather than one person's habit. Second, an unprompted complaint, phrased in their own words, where nobody was selling them anything. Third, a commitment that costs them something real. Two of the three is usually enough to justify building the smallest test.

Why are unprompted complaints better evidence than interview answers?

Because an interview invites a person to be helpful, and helpfulness distorts the answer. A complaint written when no solution was on offer records the friction in the words the person actually uses, which is also the language your product and your writing will need later.

Is attention a useful product signal?

On its own, no. Attention is cheap and easy to generate. A signal becomes useful at the point where somebody spends time, access, reputation, or money to keep the outcome coming.

A repeated workaround

An unprompted complaint

A meaningful commitment

Questions this raises

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