“I usually find ideas when I encounter some problem, either me or friends… I ask a lot of questions: really, you have this problem? But how frequent? Am I able to do better? Am I able to build something around it? Am I able to monetize it?”

Don't just ask if a problem exists — ask how often it actually happens

Good ideas come from real problems, but frequency is the filter. Interrogate how often the pain shows up, whether it can be solved better, and whether anyone will pay before committing time to building.