#12 October update
Following the learn-by-doing approach, in September 2024 I started working on my first app, Drinklytics. In these articles I share my journey, ideally once a month
This is the October update, made in November. I am such a rebel. But I like the idea of a monthly post to tell what happened the last month.
Given that time is short for everything, I set up a new priority system, or better, I optimized my previous one.
I still use I.C.E. (Impact, Confidence, Ease), but now every field has a maximum level of 5 (before was 3) and the values are multiplied (previously they were added together). This way, tasks in the backlog are ranked based on a much clearer and more defined I.C.E. score.
I did a little experiments using story points and logging time for tasks, but it doesn’t fit my needs now. I don’t have a fixed amount of time to devote to Drinklytics, so giving more structure to the flow just makes everything slower.
✅ Done
Pictures were saved at full size. With lots of items the app and its backups became too heavy.
Since the last update I improved the images management, reducing images sizes during the item saving step, also creating smaller variations for the ones used on the listing screen.
This let the app load faster and improved the backup system.
🚧 Progress
I am working on a big single feature, the custom importer.
Chatting with some Drinkylytics users or potential users they told me about their personal archive, like excel or csv files where they store their tasting notes.
If you start logging drinks into an app, you would also like to import the archive you already have, to make you journey complete. This makes perfect sense to me, and I am close to the release.
The hardest part:
- manage different date formats
- converting different rating systems to the one of Drinklytics (0 to 5 with half points)
- let user to add custom fields in bulk while importing
- make some fields mandatory and give user the possibility to add a standard values if these fields are not in their archives
- manage multiple file format (now csv, json, xlsx)
I am going to release the custom importer soon, but I will label it “beta” during the initial period.
There are too many variables thinking about all the possible personal archive structure out there.
II tried to manage the common use cases, but I am sure that I will need to improve this feature from time to time. I just hope to receive feedback to do it, rather than bad review for not having done so.
📅 Next
After the custom import I am going to address a major feature, a personal profile with statistics and charts. Because I like them.
I know, it’s not the best product management workflow, but my business stakeholder self, he sometimes just want things done with no supporting data.
I will also manage minor issues that a couple of users have raised with me.
📈 Numbers and goals
Active installs are growing, not as fast as I expect, but they grow, and all organically. My goal is 1.000 active installs in 6 months (from mid-June 25 to mid-January 26).
I am almost at 9% at about 70% of the time.
I also defined more KPIs to follow. I created a Mixpanel dashboard with some data that I will start to share.
On October I received a donation from a Drinklytics user, the third since my June launch.
I have a goal set up on ko-fi, and I am at 34% of it.
Completing the goal should allow me to manage the app expenses for a couple of years, and also to publish it on Apple Store (which would be the largest annual expense)
📝 Final thoughts
The custom importer is a powerful feature, and a very time consuming one to develop. But it’s an interesting feature to release, it requires lots of thinking and tests.
When fully working and available for multiple file type, it will be a precious ally for all the new Drinklytics users.
My posts are more about development than anything else, but I am also working a little on marketing, or better on setting things up for close future marketing.
I am not a developer, I am a product/marketing/data guy, so I want to give more focus soon on these topics too.
I would love to receive feedback, whether it's about my app or these build-in-public posts. If you feel like it, send me an email. I'll be happy to hear from you!
Drinklytics, personal, offline, tasting notes app
Whether you are a lover or an explorer, create your own personal archive of drinking experiences.
Drinklytics is an Android app for remembering one's drinking. Whether it's beer, wine or hard liquor, with drinklytics you memorize every drink.
Data marketer, product management, python and agile methodologies. This space is my single source of truth.
Here I share #thoughts and #buildinpublic, waiting for the A.I. to conquer the world.
Personal opinions and considerations.