The Boilerplate Signal
When an industry openly talks about reusing 'owned' text blocks, it's describing a manual process that AI was designed to replace.
Methodology
The Government R&D Signal
When a national lab is building a research tool for a workflow, it usually means two things: the problem is real, and no commercial solution exists yet.
The Job Posting Signal
When you search for a job title that sounds like it should be automated, you've found a workflow that hasn't been yet.
What Tier-Two Means
A Tier-2 opportunity isn't a failed search. It's a finding with weaker entry conditions. Knowing the difference changes what you do next.
The Saturation Gradient
Not all niches saturate at the same rate. The ones that look obvious from the outside saturate first. The ones that are hard to find stay open longer.
The Fifth Signal
One-star reviews on G2 and Capterra are a product specification written by customers who wanted something the vendor refused to build.
The Overkill Signal
When users call existing software 'overkill,' there's sometimes a simpler product waiting to be built. Sometimes. The signal has a catch.
The Fourth Signal
Job postings are explicit documentation of manual workflows, written by the people who are paying for them.
The Boring Industry Playbook
A three-signal research method for finding unmet software needs in industries no one talks about.