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AI can make a software prototype easier to create, but a prototype does not prove that people want it, trust it, or will keep using it. The harder work is finding a real problem, learning from the people who have it, and making a dependable solution they are willing to adopt.
A prototype is a starting point, not a business
Making a first version can help you test an idea. It cannot, by itself, establish that a problem matters enough for someone to change their habits, share sensitive information, pay for a solution, or rely on it at work. Those questions require contact with potential users and evidence from what they do—not just a working demo.
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Bartosz Siminski puts the risk plainly: “A founder who builds faster without having those conversations may simply reach the wrong destination sooner.” Read Siminski’s article on DEV Community.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsStart with a problem you know firsthand
Experience with a workflow can help you see where time, effort, or information gets lost. It may also make it easier to find people who face the same friction. That is an advantage in discovering what needs to be built; it is not proof that a product will succeed.
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An illustrative finance-workflow example
Siminski uses a finance director as an example: someone familiar with the work may recognize a recurring problem and know people who experience it. That familiarity can guide conversations and help identify a possible buyer. It is an illustration, not a documented case study or evidence of a verified business outcome.
Why people may not adopt a new tool
- Changing an established process takes effort. Even a useful tool has to be worth the disruption of changing how people already work.
- Trust matters. A new supplier may be asked to handle sensitive data or become part of an important workflow.
- Reliability is part of the product. A prototype that works once is different from software people can depend on, with the distribution and support needed to keep it useful.
These concerns do not mean you should avoid building. They help define what a meaningful early test needs to learn beyond whether the software runs.
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Try a small, private discovery exercise
- Name a problem you know from the inside. Be specific about the task, who does it, and what makes it difficult.
- Speak privately with five people who face it. Ask how they handle it now and where the process breaks down. Listen before proposing your solution.
- Look for willingness to try a better way. Interest in an idea is weaker evidence than someone being willing to test a solution in their real workflow.
- Build only the smallest version one person is willing to try. Use the test to learn whether it helps and what must be improved before expanding it.
This is Siminski’s practical advice, not a proven formula for startup success. It is a low-cost way to replace some guesswork with direct feedback.
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Building and scaling are different milestones
A 2025 report by Kyle Poyar, hosted by ChartMogul, found that one out of every 50 startups in its analyzed sample reached $25 million in annual recurring revenue within ten years of first monetization. The report analyzed anonymized, aggregated data from 6,525 software companies, began the clock at initial monetization, and accounted for different cohort observation periods. It also notes survivorship and selection considerations. This is a finding about that dataset and milestone—not the odds that any person who tries to build software will succeed or that a small software business is a failure. Read the ChartMogul report.
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Decide what to do this week
Siminski’s closing advice is: “This week, speak privately with five people who face it. If one of them wants a better way, build the smallest version they are willing to try.” Treat that as a prompt to learn, not a guarantee. Start by naming one workflow you know firsthand and one person you could ask about it.
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