When discussing what technical level independent developers should have, we often fall into a misunderstanding: the more advanced the technology, the more successful the product. However, this is not the case. The core of independent developers does not lie in technology, but in how they find user needs and creatively solve problems.
First, let’s clarify what an independently developed product is. These products are often built by small teams of 1 to 3 people, with marginal costs close to zero, and are sold through the Internet, such as app memberships, website content sharing, advertising traffic, etc. They may or may not be highly technical, but what they have in common is that they all make money and have extremely low marginal costs.
What role does technology play in this? Important, but not decisive. A successful product must first meet the needs of specific users. Whether your product is a website, app, or something else, as long as it helps users solve their problems, someone will be willing to pay. Technology is one means of achieving this, but it is not the only one.
Take Xiaohongshu as an example. In the early days, it was just a PDF manual update for overseas shopping function verification requirements. Later, it developed its own app. Its success does not only rely on technology, but more importantly, it finds the needs of users and provides corresponding solutions. Similarly, helping independent developers find practical ideas, dismantle them, package them into products for sale, is also a successful model.
So, how do independent developers without technology create products? The answer is through information. Use third-party tools or platforms, such as Knowledge Planet, to create information products and profit from information differences. Many of these independent developers even earn more than some technical developers.
The key here is to find a user need that is not being adequately met and create a better solution to satisfy it. For independent developers, large and comprehensive products are often not their competitive advantage. On the contrary, opportunities in long-tail segments are more worthy of their exploration. For example, browser plug-ins, image format conversion tools, etc. may not be worth mentioning to large companies, but they are excellent living spaces for independent developers.
When building products, indie developers should aim for speed, not perfection. If you can use third-party tools or services, try to use them to quickly verify your needs. Once the requirements are verified, it is not too late to gradually polish the iterative product.
Finally, if you want to know more information or cases about independent developers, welcome to join our independent development community. Here are independent developers from all walks of life sharing their experiences, insights and projects. I believe you will find like-minded partners and endless inspiration here.
In general, the success of independent developers does not entirely depend on their technical level, but more on how they discover and solve users' problems. As long as you have a good idea and enough execution, you may become the next successful independent developer.
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