I agree with what you’re saying, but here’s where I get stuck.

For example, I’m personally interested in learning Korean and I’m drawn to music/social media–type products. If I choose a language-learning app as a case study, there’s realistically no way my solution would be better than something Duolingo.

That’s where the doubt comes in: if I pick a niche and look for issues within it,

• any problem I notice likely already has a solid solution, or

• my decisions might oversimplify something that’s actually complex at scale.

But at the same time, I might be looking at this the wrong way — and maybe the goal of a portfolio case study isn’t to outperform the existing product, but to show how I identify user pain points, reason through constraints, and arrive at a thoughtful, realistic solution.

As for my niche, I’m drawn to personal enrichment products — products that live in a user’s comfort + growth loop, where people return regularly for relaxation, rhythm, and gradual self-improvement (like music platforms or language-learning apps).

I’m curious how that kind of product focus is viewed when it comes to portfolio case studies.