Use Claude Code to Build What People Actually Want

TL;DR: Every negative review is a product feature written by your future customer. This guide shows you exactly where to find user complaints that translate into validated product ideas: G2 reviews for B2B, Reddit for B2C, App Store for mobile, and Upwork for automation opportunities.

I spent three months last year trying to come up with a “unique” product idea. Brainstorming sessions. Market research reports. Competitor analysis spreadsheets. Meanwhile, the real challenge for any new SaaS is distribution, not ideation.

Total revenue from those ideas? Zero.

Then I tried something different. I stopped looking for ideas and started looking for complaints.

Why Complaints Beat Brainstorming

When someone leaves a 1-star review, they’re essentially writing you a product spec. They’re telling you: - What problem they have - What solution they tried - Why it failed them - What they’d pay for instead

That’s more market research than most startups do before building.

The B2B Playbook: G2 and Capterra Reviews

Head to any popular B2B tool’s review page. Filter by 1-2 star reviews. Then search for these phrases:

• “doesn’t have”
• “wish it could”
• “missing”
• “can’t”

How to find B2B product opportunities:

1. Pick a category you know. Choose a B2B software category where you have domain expertise. Project management, CRM, analytics, whatever you’ve actually used.

2. Read the negative reviews. Spend 30 minutes reading 1-2 star reviews. Look for patterns. The same complaint appearing 20+ times is a signal.

3. Identify the gap. Common patterns to spot:

   • “Great tool but doesn’t integrate with X” = build the integration layer
   • “Too complex for small teams” = build the simple version
   • “Costs $500/month for one feature we need” = unbundle that feature

I found 37 reviews last week complaining that a major CRM doesn’t have WhatsApp integration. That’s not an idea. That’s a customer list.

The B2C Playbook: Reddit Complaints

Search Reddit for your topic plus: “frustrating”, “hate when”, “wish someone would”

The goldmine subreddits: - r/mildlyinfuriating for daily pain points - r/entrepreneur for business problems - Niche hobby subreddits where passionate users become paying customers

Real examples that became businesses: - “Hate calling restaurants to check wait times” became NowAit (sold for $40M) - “Frustrated with splitting bills” became Venmo - “Annoying to schedule meetings” became Calendly

Here’s the trick most people miss: sort by comments, not upvotes. High comment counts mean heated debate, which means real problems that people actually care about. Knowing which subreddits to search makes this process much more efficient.

The Automation Playbook: Upwork Job Posts

People are literally paying others to do repetitive tasks. If you can automate those tasks, you have a business.

Search Upwork for: “weekly”, “monthly”, “ongoing”, “repeat”

Patterns I’ve spotted: - “Need someone to format podcasts weekly” = auto-editing tool - “Looking for VA to schedule social posts” = scheduling automation - “Data entry from PDF to spreadsheet” = extraction tool

If 100+ people are paying $20/hour for it, they’ll pay $50/month to automate it. The math works in your favor.

The Mobile App Playbook: App Store Reviews

Go to top apps in any category. Read the 1-star reviews. Look for the same complaint appearing 20+ times.

What you’ll find: - “Wish there was a feature for X” = build it - “Love this app but hate the ads” = paid version opportunity - “Perfect except no offline mode” = your differentiator - “Was great until they removed X feature” = bring it back

I found a meditation app with 500+ reviews saying “no offline mode.” Someone launched a similar app with offline support at $4/month. They hit $50k MRR in six months.

The Validation Formula

Not every complaint is a business. Here’s how to filter:

Check for: - 30+ people with the same complaint = real problem - They’re already paying for an alternative = willing to pay - Existing solution has an obvious flaw = your opportunity

If you can’t find evidence of all three, keep looking.

The Common Mistake

People see a complaint and build exactly what users ask for. Don’t do that.

Solve the underlying problem better instead.

Example: “Notion is too complex” seems like it needs a simpler Notion clone. But that’s the wrong answer. The right answer is a focused tool for their specific use case. Writers need a writing tool, not a simpler everything tool.

Moving Fast

When you find a pattern of complaints, others are seeing the same data. Speed matters.

Week 1: Validate with 10 potential customers Week 2: Build MVP Week 3: Launch to the complainers Week 4: Iterate based on feedback

The people who complained are your first customer list. Reach out directly. They already told you what they want. And once you’ve built, think about how AI-powered discovery will surface your product to future buyers.

The internet is literally telling you what to build. Stop brainstorming and start listening.