[angryredblock]

I wish there was more detail about the pain-point-finding process. As is, simply looking for examples of current pain points is very prone to cognitive bias -- if you go looking for a pain point, you'll find one, but how do you quantify the intensity of pain and willingness to change solutions? Maybe more of an overall competition-assessment strategy (rather than a specific pain-point-search) -- if you research the current shortcomings AND high points of current solutions you'll have a much better understanding of the value your product can add.

[snarf21]

I think you have to talk to as many people as you can about this pain point. They should not be friends or family. They need to be at best acquaintances. You want honest feedback from people who don't care about hurting your feelings, only what they need for their business.

How big of a pain is it? Does your idea solve that for them? How much would they pay for your service over what they use now? Can you make switching cost effective? ....

[codingdave]

It depends on your approach - if you come up with an idea, then go looking for people to confirm it is a pain point, yes, you may end up being off. But if you simply identify a market you want to help, then go ask people in that market what their biggest pain points are, your should end up with a valid list.