IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Ask HN: What skills do you want to develop or improve in 2026?

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Improving Focus and Productivity

Many express struggles with concentration, ADHD-like symptoms, and time management, often prioritizing it over other goals.
"> I want to, no, need to improve my ability to focus on the task at hand." - swgeek
"This. My control of my focus has been reduced to the point of disability at times" - exasperaited
"Talk to a psychiatrist about ADHD." - computerfriend

2. Escaping CRUD Drudgery for Creative Tech Projects

Users in routine web/devops roles seek "wizard-level" pursuits like compilers, OSes, hardware, or indie products.
"I do CRUD apps, and I am very boxed in my brain... I often marveled at people who create database, compilers, emulators, 3D engines" - banbangtuth
"Get stuck in crud apps because it's easy, comfy and well paid. I would like to start something entirely different" - hsuduebc2
"quit my cosy, well paying, job and start building the products I have been wanting to build" - pan69

3. Leveraging (or Skepticizing) AI for Coding/Productivity

Debate on AI as force multiplier vs. unreliable tool, with plans to integrate for building/shipping faster.
"with the help of AI i can now finally develop good frontends" - mraes007
"AI is changing the game—soon, one person will be able to build a billion-dollar company" - Yash16
"AI is going to replace me... LLMs can't wield a TIG torch yet" - lewiscollard (skeptical thread by imron)

🚀 Project Ideas

TradeArcade: The Paper Trading Simulator

Summary

  • A "hand-rolled" paper trading platform that emphasizes risk management and defensive strategies over pure profit seeking.
  • Solves the gap between learning from YouTube/courses and the emotional difficulty of executing trades without losing real capital.
  • Provides a sandbox to "follow instructions" perfectly, a pain point identified by users who admit they fail at trading due to a lack of discipline.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Aspiring day/swing traders and hobbyists looking to move beyond "index and hold."
Core Feature Strategy-first simulator focusing on "preventing heavy losses" and tracking "instruction-following" metrics.
Tech Stack Go or Rust for the matching engine/backend; React/Tailwind for the dashboard; Alpaca or Polygon.io for real-time market data APIs.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium. Core features free; advanced analytics and "risk alerts" via subscription.

Notes

  • HN users specifically mentioned needing a "paper trading solution by mid to late 2026" focusing on preventing losses.
  • Addresses the "bell curve" debate by providing empirical data on whether a user's strategy actually beats the index before they risk their "small accounts."

PCB Pilot: From Script to Circuit

Summary

  • A specialized workflow tool and educational suite for developers transitioning from CRUD/web apps to embedded systems and PCB design.
  • Integrates with AI agents to help draft schematics from high-level descriptions while teaching the user the "Why" behind components (caps, conductors, etc.).
  • Bridges the gap for software engineers who find hardware "magic" but want to build physical prototypes (cameras, LED trees, ESP32 toys).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Web/software developers (10+ YoE) seeking "wizard-level" hardware skills.
Core Feature Script-to-PCB generator (using KiCad/Python) with built-in "Aha!" explanations for component choices.
Tech Stack Python, KiCad API, Claude/OpenAI APIs for schematic logical validation.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Paid course/kit bundles or a "pro" design-validation SaaS for makers.

Notes

  • Commenters expressed deep desire to move away from "boring CRUD" to "magic" like emulators and physical hardware.
  • Directly supports the user goal: "design at least two boards and get them through the prototype stage."

TaskForge: The "Junior Dev" Agent Manager

Summary

  • A productivity framework for senior developers to manage "Junior" AI agents using standard Software Engineering (SWE) lifecycle stages.
  • Solves the frustration of "vibe coding" loops where AI keeps making the same mistakes or produces low-quality code without "taste."
  • Focuses on the "Project Manager" role of the developer, encoding "Skills" and constraints into a reusable library.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Experienced Staff/Senior Engineers who find manual prompting "outweighs the effort to just do it myself."
Core Feature State-machine based agent manager that enforces planning and testing phases before code generation.
Tech Stack TypeScript or Python; integration with Claude Code or Cursor; Markdown-based "Skill" libraries.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby (Open Source with a "Buy Me a Coffee" or sponsorship model).

Notes

  • Addresses the specific HN complaint: "the amount of effort involved to use English to direct the AI often outweighs the effort involved to just do it myself."
  • Encourages "Systems Thinking" by forcing the user to architect rather than just prompt, satisfying the user who wants to "protect focus like equity."

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