Russell Brand Solving the wrong problem is a common way for a startup to fail. Or a product launch from an existing company to fail even harder. Or a life to seem wasted.
Making a huge improvement on something no one cares much about isn't a winning strategy.
Nor is making only a tiny improvement even if people care a lot is rarely a winning strategy.
Thibard Elziere's article How to Validate a Startup Idea has a simple way to use these criteria to help make sure that you aren't solving the wrong program.
The one thing we would add is that when you look at a group of potential users, it may be that you are solving exactly the right problem for some of them but not others. In such a case, you may be able to succeed by narrowing your focus.
