Building Products: How to Build Something People Actually Love
During the recent techKoodaram Build Day, I noticed something interesting. Even before opening their laptops, many students were already planning complex and advanced customization features for their ideas.
Having a new idea as a college student is a powerful feeling. You have the skills to create something from nothing, and this is an amazing time to be a builder. But as someone who thinks about products every day, I’ve seen that jumping straight into complex features is how we fall into the "build trap." We get so excited about how we are coding that we forget why we are building it in the first place.
To make sure your hard work turns into a success that people actually love, you can follow a few simple steps.
1. Empathy
The biggest mistake you can make is trying to build for "everyone." When you build for everyone, you end up with a Swiss army knife, a tool that does many things poorly but nothing exceptionally well.
Instead, find one specific person (a friend, a classmate, or a local shopkeeper) and solve a single, nagging problem for them. This focus is your greatest weapon against feature creep (the trap of constantly adding new, unnecessary features). By building only what is absolutely necessary for that one person, you ensure your project starts with a solid foundation of real-world value. If your solution works for one real human, it’s much easier to scale it to thousands.
2. Research
Before you write a single line of code, you need to understand the current state. This means looking closely at how people solve their problems today, even if they are using messy notebooks or complex spreadsheets. These "bad" systems exist for a reason; they are currently fulfilling a need, however poorly.
Your goal is to identify friction points, those exact moments where the current system feels slow, confusing, or frustrating. Use AI tools like Perplexity or Gemini to look at existing solutions and find the gaps or unmet needs. Success doesn't mean reinventing the wheel; it means making that wheel spin even just 10% smoother for your user.
3. Build
In software development, the most important thing is to move from an idea to a working version as fast as possible. Instead of trying to build a complex application with every feature you can imagine, focus entirely on your core functionality.
Think of it as building a functional prototype that solves the main problem immediately. Give yourself a strict 3-day deadline for your first version. Using tools like Cursor or Antigravity, focus all your energy on making the primary feature work. If you cannot build a functional version in three days, your scope is likely too broad. The goal is to create something real that you can actually test with users right away.
4. Feedback
The moment your prototype is ready, get it into the hands of real people. Real usage data is worth more than a thousand "good ideas" discussed in a vacuum. This is where you enter the feedback loop.
Watch how they use it. Where do they get stuck? What questions do they ask? This feedback will tell you whether you should refine your idea or pivot to a new direction entirely. It is much better to fail fast on a project that took three days than to realize after three months that you built something nobody actually wants.
Hint: Use free AI tools to go faster
You do not have to do everything alone. Use free AI tools to help you write the repetitive parts of your code. They are like having a junior product manager and a senior engineer by your side.
- For research: Use tools like Perplexity, Gemini, or ChatGPT. You can ask: "What are common problems students face with campus life?"
- For coding: Use tools like Cursor or Antigravity to build your prototype faster. You can ask: "Help me create a simple one-page website that shows a timer for a book due date."
The secret: AI is great at execution, but you are the leader. AI does not know the specific vibe of your college or the unique problems your friends face. Your role is to provide the direction, the empathy, and the unique insight that an AI can't replicate.
Why this makes you a great builder
Starting this way keeps you excited and ensures your projects actually matter. In technology, the most successful people aren’t necessarily the best coders. They are the ones who can connect technical skills with human needs.
Your Action Plan:
- Day 1: Observe. Find one person with a problem. Talk to them.
- Day 2: Map. Research the current state and find the unmet need.
- Week 1: Learn. Build your prototype in 3 days. Show it to people, and be ready to pivot.
Build something simple. Build something real. Build something people love.