At What Point Do You Stop Trusting Your Own Product Intuition?

Faysal Fateh — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 07:17:20 +0000

There’s a weird problem that comes with building software:
The more time you spend with an idea, the harder it becomes to tell whether you genuinely believe in it or whether you’ve just become attached to it.
You know the problem inside out.
You’ve talked about it dozens of times.
You’ve thought through the edge cases.
You’ve already imagined what the finished product looks like.
And eventually, your own intuition starts feeling like evidence.
But it isn’t.
I’ve been thinking about where developers and product builders draw that line.
At what point do you stop trusting your own product intuition and actively look for evidence that you’re wrong?
For example:
● Do you wait until you have something users can actually try?
● Do you talk to potential users before writing code?
● Do you look for people who disagree with the idea?
● Do you rely on usage data once something is shipped?
● Or do you think intuition is still one of the most valuable tools a builder has?
I’m especially interested in the moment when your instinct says “this is going to work”, but the evidence starts saying otherwise.
Have you ever had to kill, change, or completely rethink something you were convinced was a good idea?
What finally changed your mind?

DEV Community: Faysal Fateh

At What Point Do You Stop Trusting Your Own Product Intuition?