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I don't believe I have ever 'looked' for ideas. As far as I can recall, I build stuff to solve a problem I have. There are 2 classes though

1. I have a problem but I think it's just a small thing or very unique to me.

2. I have a problem and I see that other people have the same problem but they have simply learnt to live with it. Or I have this problem and it's driving me crazy ;)

For stuff in group 2, I first try to quickly build something (no matter how hacky) and then as time goes on, I try to expand it/get others to use it (this is how I got my current project). This in turn leads to more feedback which either helps me refine or abandon trying to commercialize it.

I also check out forums for the area that I'm working on and also look at bug trackers if it's public. Those are 2 places to get information on user requirements/pains. For example, my current project is on Google App Engine so I check the Google Groups forum for Google App Engine regularly