Do not look for the need but understand the real need (personal experience)

To explain the difference between a client's need and a client's real need, I share a personal example.

I often see people putting confidential data (mainly passwords) in clear in emails or workspaces (Notion, Coda, etc.). Personally, I have a problem with this because there are several possible leaks:

The site can read your data
The site may have a hack and leave your data in the wild
Some retransfer emails with passwords in clear text

In early 2021, I have an idea: how I can make message encryption as simple as possible. I thought of a completely autonomous platform with 2 steps

The person encrypts the message, generates a link and sends the link to a person
The recipient clicks on the link and decrypts the message with his password (only he can do it and nobody else)

The encrypted message does not pass through the servers (no logs, no backups). And everything can be proven (for the most suspicious)

Is it a good idea? Is it a need?

So I created the product in 3 days. I focused on the main concept. We can say that it is an MVP. If there is a real interest, I could continue its development.

But the question is: good idea? would some people use it? Personally, I find it a good idea and I need it myself. But this is a personal story! Do other people have the same need?

On paper, people are concerned about security and privacy. Many instant messengers like WhatsApp, Zoom or Signal use end-to-end encryption. By the way, Signal had a lot of traffic because people were afraid of WhatsApp's data harvesting. So you could say there is a need. But is it really a real need?

Experience the real need

The product is publicly launched. I created a quick site (Cryptery).

Now I have to verify that people will use it. So I started with my entourage, mainly with customers who tend to send Wordpress passwords or other sites by email, or to register them in Notion.

The first reaction?

"That's really great."

But that's just a compliment.

To take it a step further, I almost required them to use this platform to send their passwords because I'm concerned about their security. I even put in my email signature:

"Note: If you send me sensitive data (password, etc.), write it on the following link: ... and send me the generated link"

But here's the problem: it didn't stop my customers from continuing their password in clear text in the emails. So what's the problem? My service is free, provides security and does not require knowledge of Linux command lines to encrypt a message.

The answer is simple: the problem is not painful enough for people to go through my platform. For them, it is easier and faster to send a confidential message by email in clear text than to go to an intermediate site to encrypt the message

A friend of mine sells surveillance cameras for homes. Who buys his cameras? Pretty much everyone who gets robbed at least once.

As long as people don't feel concerned, they won't use the product.

Yet people go on Signal?

My mother called me:

"Samuel, I have a friend who stops WhatsApp and goes on ... (she looks for the name of the other application)"
"On Signal"
That's it! I don't dare use WhatsApp anymore! I heard that all my messages and photos will be put on Facebook
"No, they won't. Your messages are encrypted. Theoretically, they can't read them and reuse them. They just changed the Terms of Service to use some data (IP, Name and Phone number) for commercial purposes.
"Ha ok, if it's just that, I can stay on WhatsApp"

People got scared because of the media and rumors. Many people around me went to Signal for "privacy" but stay on Gmail, Facebook, etc... nonsense

So this information (people concerned about privacy) is a false positive. Many will not go through my Cryptery platform to encrypt their message. It is not their first need because they don't see the problem of leaving passwords in clear text in an email

What to do next?

You have to change your strategy. You have to look for people where encrypting messages is a real need. Companies? People working in security? Hackers?

Honestly, I didn't go further because it's not my first business (I work mostly in artificial intelligence) but it allowed me to better understand how to make a product

Hopefully this example will help you to better understand your customers.

And you, have you found the real need of your customers?