#8 It's not a delay, it's an improvement
Following the learn-by-doing approach, in September 2024 I started working on my first app, Drinklytics, now live. In these articles I share my journey, ideally once a month
📝 Some context 📑
This is a new post format for my build-in-public journey. It's still a work in progress, but it's clearer than the previous one.
My closed test is still running, and I am receiving feedback. Thank you, Mom.
Jokes apart, the people who are trying Drinklytics are so kind and their feedback is useful.
The closed testing period (14 days) is technically over. I could ask Google Play to publish my application, but this is not the right decision.
Being my first app, I want to learn from every step. Ok, ship fast, rapid iterations, small improvements.. but I also want to take the time to think about what I am facing.
🚧 Problems, development and solutions 🔧
During the closed test phase, some say it’s best to release a few updates before requesting publication.
This might state that you're getting feedback and that your app is actively being used. It could also suggest that your app is slightly above the average quality of new releases.
Maybe it’s just a rumor.
I don't know, I decided to work more on my app before publishing, because it's the best choise.
Via the feedback, people asked me to:
- have fewer required fields
- be able to add many images per drink
- be able to edit each field
- some UI changes
- minor/bigger improvements that I will manage in the next versions
These features required a database migration, which was new to me. I had to test it thoroughly to ensure everything worked smoothly and nothing broke during the update.
Git has been an invaluable tool, allowing me to manage code, make mistakes, and easily revert to previous versions.
I tested the changes on many devices and, yesterday, finalized the new release for the closed test.
Google Play allows you to prompt users to update the app when they open it. I tried this feature, but it didn’t seem to work, though I may have set it up incorrectly.
I’ll have more chances to test it.
Now the 1.3 version of the app is rolling out to the closed test users, if there are no bugs, I will ask Google to publish.
📈 Numbers and goals 🎯
Since I’m still in the development phase, I’ve kept the project’s publicity minimal, just enough to attract a small group of early adopters for testing. The numbers are modest, but in the spirit of building in public, here they are:
- Drinklytics landing page
- Q1: 55 visits -> 12 form views (22%) -> 4 closed test joiners (7%)
- Q2 QTD: 36 visits -> 7 form views (19%) -> 1 closed test joiners (3%)
- Drinklytics users
- Totale enabled for closed test: 31
My Q2 goal is to get published, nothing more now.
Thank you for your time. Feel free to get in touch with me, I will be happy to receive your feedback. 😊