#11 On the road
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 September update update about my Build In Public journey with Drinklytics, I missed the August one.
🚧 Progress
I made a mistake from the beginning; I forced people to use the app only to save three kind of drink:
- wine
- beer
- spirits.
“And what if I want to save sodas?”, “I’d like to save teas”.. mm well, you can’t.
This has been also one the first feedback I received from Fabian, but I was so focused on my idea that I was like deaf; sorry man for not listening to you.
I was wrong, so I spent some times re-working on the database schema and on the app screens too, to make it possible to save all kinds of drinks.
The funny thing is that I created the app to have my personal archive for the specific drink types above, now I use myself the app to save juices. 😏
I also worked on the import-export feature, and I couldn't wait to do it. I found this one a very important feature, because I think it gives reliability to an app.
You know that you can spend your time adding data to an app and that your time will not be wasted one day by a poorly managed update or by the loss of the device.
This is not yet a scheduled backup feature, it’s just a manual export/import, but it’s the basis for the backup that will come in the upcoming updates.
Some updates about ASO (App Store Optimization). Reading some forums, one theory is that without an initial push from Ads, the store listing won't rank in the Play Store.
I tested a 100% organic approach starting from scratch, and for now it seems to work.
In August, about two months after publishing, I started to see the first movements and, one month later, the situation is what you see in the image (this is the US version of the listing page).
I am still lacking in serious promotion of the app, I'm finding myself running out of time, because I am also working on other projects that I will share.
Having few time, I prefer to focus on features, to make my app a better product and its existing users satisfied, focusing on organic installations which, although few in number, arrive.
Few active users could promote the app through word of mouth.
For a couple of days I saw some traffic to Drinklytics website coming from Facebook, so I suppose someone shared it. I wan’t able to find anything, otherwise I would had participating in the post.
It’s just an assumption.
📅 Next
In want to focus on three main elements:
- a better images management → to reduce images sizes, makes the app loading faster and improve the backup system
- automated backup → to add more reliability to the app
- an icon redesign → to improve CTR and installs in the Play Store
📈 Numbers and goals
In June I have set a goal: to reach 1000 active installations in six months, or to round up, by the end of 2025. From Google: an active device is defined as one that has been turned on at least once in the past 30 days.
Currently, after three month and a half of activity, and relying only on organic growth supported by ASO, app active installs trend is the one below:
So at ≈50% of my journey, my goal met is at 4.7%. 🙃
A lot of work to do, but I'm super pumped.
As always, thank you for your time and get in touch with me, I'm very curious to meet 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.