Building My First App
The Idea and the Plan
Building My First App: The Idea and the Plan
First Idea and First Fail 🚧
How do you come up with an idea for an app? Honestly, there isn't a universal answer to this question. Some people dream up ideas, while others conduct extensive research. What I've learned is this: don't wait for a "great" idea to magically appear. Waiting for inspiration is often just a waste of time.
Nowadays, we have so many tools to help us brainstorm, research, and validate ideas. So, don't hesitate—just start!
My first app idea was born out of personal necessity. I created a Progressive Web Application (PWA) called House Expenses. The goal? To help me and my neighbors track our house expenses. Unfortunately, the app failed because, as it turned out, nobody actually needed it. 😅
But that failure taught me an important lesson: if you want to achieve something, you need to invest time in research. Even the best ideas need validation before you start building.
My Real First App (Or So I Think) 🌟
After my first failure, my next idea came naturally—no research required. I simply wanted to create a motivating app.
And that's how LifeTicker was born. 🎉 I consider it to be my true first app because it was the first project I launched successfully.
How Did I Come Up with the Idea? 🤔
We often hear that time is the most precious resource we have, but it's also one of the most underappreciated. We tend to realize its value only after it has passed or when there's very little left.
I wanted to build an app that made people more aware of their time. The core idea was simple: a countdown timer showing how much time is left this year. Over time, I added features to make it more engaging:
- Motivational texts that inspire users.
- Settings to adjust themes (because who doesn't love personalization?).
- Options that allow users to impact the timer speed for a sense of control and customization.
This app also marked my first attempt at monetization, which added a whole new layer of challenges and learning.
Building LifeTicker: A Journey 🚀
The First Version: Simple but Boring 😴
When I started building LifeTicker, it was nothing more than a basic digital timer. Frankly, it looked boring. So, I decided to add motivational texts and tweak the design to make it more visually appealing.
Balancing Development with a Full-Time Job 🕒
About two weeks into development, I found myself juggling my day job and app tasks. It was tough to stay consistent, but I kept pushing forward, adding new features and polishing the app bit by bit.
Researching Indie Hacking and Promotion 📚
As LifeTicker began to take shape, I dived deeper into the world of indie hacking. I learned about:
- Promoting apps effectively
- Building landing pages
- Using content marketing
- Starting a blog to share my journey
To promote LifeTicker, I created a simple yet functional landing page and began writing blog posts about my experience. Sharing my story not only helped me connect with others but also served as a form of marketing.
What's Next? ✨
LifeTicker is just the beginning of my indie hacking journey. I've learned so much along the way, and there's still a lot more to explore. In my future posts, I'll share more details about the challenges I faced, the strategies I tried, and the lessons I learned.
Stay tuned—this is only the start! 🚀
