Inquire, 'When is the last time you encountered this problem?' to understand the frequency of their issues.

Ask, 'What don’t you love about the solution you already tried?' to identify shortcomings in existing solutions.

Ask, 'Why was this hard?' to gain insights into the challenges users face.

Ask users about their past experiences with problems rather than hypotheticals to gain better insights.

Ask users, 'What is the hardest part about doing this thing?' to uncover their pain points.

Asking specific questions about how potential customers currently handle a problem can reveal valuable insights into their needs and challenges, and understanding user motivation is critical for solving their problems effectively.

Determine how frequently they encounter the problem, as more frequent issues indicate a higher likelihood of needing a solution.

It's easy to propose methods for problems, but I want to know if they work in practice and what goes wrong with them.

Once you've identified a problem, gather some friends to brainstorm potential solutions together, as collaboration can lead to more innovative ideas.