The Fast App

Shared in Development on July 21, 2019

There is so much going on.

I need to plan, build, and release a small app. I’ve had ideas piling up for years, but now it’s time to move. Responsibilities at my full-time job are growing, client deadlines are getting tighter, a partnership for another app is forming, and there’s a baby coming in October. There is so much going on.

What To Build

I’m writing this to help me think this out. My gut says create a workout app. My version of the standard tracking app. A tracker that gets out of the way but keeps you moving in the right direction. I’ve had a multitude of versions and concepts, know the gotchas and the areas to improve on - and I’m trying to convince myself to not build this yet.

The reason I’m trying to convince myself out of the workout space is to force a new idea to come out. Most likely, I’ll be building a workout app by the end of this writing.

I’m also planning a large app in the live-music space. This is going to be a huge undertaking in and of itself. Building something small this week to help me learn a few things or find my blind-spots in that app could be helpful.

I also have to finish creating an app that ties into an e-commerce solution for a current, amazing client. I’m considering building this on a rails-api/react stack due to my comfort levels in these areas. The flexibility of an easy to adapt api back-end paired with the device-reach capabilities within the react ecosystem is a large contributor.

What Matters

I need to lay out my priorities to help make this decision:

  • The MVP should be deliverable within 1 week
  • Web First in delivery, Mobile focused in use
  • Subscription model, $5/month
  • I must see worth in the overall idea
  • Should have plenty of room for growth

Should it be MinMax?

The health space has so many players because there is a space for everyone’s approach. I’ve been sitting on MinMax for so long, and I really want to see it through. I’ve been fighting more of an ethical battle over the future of the concept, but I think it’s time to jump in and do it. The ethical problems are a long reach. Concern over the use of the math and structures I’ve been developing for the concept are what I’m worried about, but I think this is my cynical mind taking over- but most likely my mind looking for a way to validate why I haven’t built this yet. Version 1 of MinMax may just have to be the most basic of work out apps.

Build In The Open

Okay, It’s going to be MinMax. Workout tracking with a leveling system, with plans to build workout planning to help leveling along with machine learning magic to help individual users down their own paths. 1-week to get to a working app, with another week most likely to get to shipped and at a level of payment.