How to do Market research for softwares ?

search for:
"top 10 keyword research tools"
or something similar from your niche.
Try the leading 4-5 tools. Use it for a while and think about improvements. Is the leading software too slow? bloated? missing a feature?
Is there a gap which none of them can fill?

Do a broad keyword research "online marketing" or something.
narrow down to something like "how to promote on google+"
search for a tool which helps you to promote your content on google+
there is none?
boom - there is your new software.

and follow forums and subforums. same questions are asked over and over again. Think about a software solution for those questions.

Your best bet? Ask your target audience. If you're selling to internet marketers, for instance, just ask the happy folks here on WF.

GRM

What type of things have you made in the past?

I always have quite a few ideas for tools.

According to me, first of all you focus on the top keywords. You can also take the help of SEO experts who can suggest you the best tools for an internet marketing.

Then you've already found the niche to focus on.

Perhaps now try asking in forums what they would need. E.g. If you could have the perfect software right now to help you do something you hate what would it be? (or something like that....)

Post in all popular forums, perhaps even fb groups in IM, G+ groups in IM, etc. Perhaps retry after some time with a different question.

If you know how to drive traffic you can create a squeeze page site, with just a survey on it. Drive traffic and they will fill out the survey. Promise them to give them the software at half price if they take the survey (or even free). That's what I did once.

Don't worry about giving away too many free copies, you can always take down the survey when enough people took it.

This also builds you a list at the same time - by redirecting them to an optin box after they take the survey (to get on the notification list of it's launch).

Another easier perhaps thing to try is to make a list of all the software available today in the IM niche, split them into categories/subcategories (e.g. list building software, seo software, etc). Then by reading the salesletter (or watching demos) you can figure out any defects/lack of features, or improvements you can add to them - and create a better software.

OR grab the best feature in each one and create a new one with all those features.

Something on SEO will be a good choice as it sells like hot cakes. But make sure you do it with high quality and no bugs with top support.