Yes me too... I want to start a side project!
Indie Hackers is too inspirational not to give it a try. I want to start a side project that also teaches me how to code. And I'm writing this because I want to know your take on it.
I'm a cocktail aficionado. I enjoy the mixing of ingredients and trying new stuff. So I thought it would be a great idea if I could do a project of Mixology than included something techy so I could do both things at a time. I'm starting a blog (that can help with the context of what I end up building) but I also want to write a tool to help me Mix Drinks.
The question for all of you is: should I start with a Web tool or go for an App? I understand tech but haven't written a formal line of code.
If the goal is to build something for the sake of learning – then go with the product you care/use more. If you use apps more than web tools, build an app! Whichever you chose, do it because you like it and want it. Don't do it because it's what someone else told you to do. If you build it because you like it, when you run into obstacles – and you will – you'll be more motivated to learn how to get past them.
I also want to say that learning by building something you're interested in is a great way to learn!
Thanks, @mattg. Makes a lot of sense what you're saying. I really picture this product as an App. It makes more sense for me at least. But I was afraid that starting walking that path wouldn't be good for me since I've read is a little harder than learning web
Maybe it's harder, but I'm not convinced by that. I think it's probably easier to get started with the web, but mobile isn't necessarily harder – it's different. With Mobile, especially iOS, you're only worried about one platform. With the web or Android, you've got to worry about fragmentation. Plus with mobile development, you usually have one or two tools to use. On the web you might become overwhelmed with what to use (react, rails, python, node, angular, ember, php, java, etc).
There are a lot of good resources on mobile development out there and more being added every day.
Instead of a Blog, did you consider a VLOG?
Mixing drinks seems like something that would translate better to video than the written word.
You can still build a website/app around the videos, build a database of the different drinks, and the ingredients you need, they techniques used in mixing them, etc.
Sounds good @mubs. Yes, videos are more the context of mixing.
I second Mubs' advice. You don't necessarily need to build something from scratch, and you might be better served by combining an existing platform (e.g. YouTube) with custom code.
What I would do is design the best possible product from the user's perspective. What do they really want, and how could you deliver that to them in the most convenient fashion? If the answer is video, then build on YouTube. If the answer is audio, consider a podcast. If they need to be mobile, then (and only then) should you build a mobile app. Etc. Try to ensure that your tech choices result from the value you need to provide, rather than letting your tech choices dictate things.
Then just learn whatever you need to!
Thanks Courtland! I totally understand your point. At that makes a ton of sense from the product and business perspective.
But on the other side, I really want to learn to code. I think using a meaningful and useful project would make it easier for me to learn.
So my question was, in the process of learning should I start with web or jump ahead to Mobile (which I think is a better use of a formal product).
I'm heavily biased toward web, so that's my vote. It should be easier to get something off the ground and make incremental progress.
But don't underestimate the success of your project as a factor. Learning to code takes many months, and it's easy to get discouraged and lose motivation. I've taught several close friends to code, and they were more successful when they were building something real that they were passionate about. If you think your project is more suited on mobile, then go with mobile.
If you are a potential user yourself, what would YOU use? What makes the most sense in the mixing context?
Where are the users going to use the tool?
My hunch is an App.
On the other hand what do you want to learn? Web or App development?
I'd like to throw in my support as my hunch being an app too.
Picturing myself when I need to use a recipe in the kitchen, it's easier to bring along my iPad or my phone than my laptop.
And if I were entertaining in the basement where the alcohol is at my house, mobile devices would be even more convenient down there.
@patrics @modette indeed my vision is an App. I even have the initial mockups and everything. The thing is that since I'm going to start learning to code with this project, I don't know if the smartest way is to begin with an App.
I've read it's easier to start with web and then change. I could also make a mobile-friendly design.
Still figuring out what to do. Thanks for the help!
I also think it's easier to learn web and switch to app later.
I'd also offer my probably cynical personal view. You'll have more success with casual users "finding" your content on the web. I (and I assume most people) use google (web) when searching recipes, and being asked to download an app just gets in the way (even if you're result #1, I'd rather try #2 then download some recipe app). An app will be for your super users once you have some. Most users will be casual (eg I'm having a party and need to know how to make a good martini, but I'm not learning to be a bartender so I probably won't revisit your site for a while once I get the info I need).
However, you can establish the web presence now and then use it to promote your app when it's available later.
@mais great advise.
From what you wrote I'm thinking that I could start learning Mobile and try to do the project as I envision it, and in the meanwhile put up a Landing Page with a few recipes that can manage the casual users. That way I can have something to promote, and if I'm lucky (or do a good marketing job), I can have part of those users download the App (when it's ready) or subscribe to a Beta or Newsletter.
Sounds good, cheers!
I'll toss in another idea that I frequently recommend to less technical creators, build a chatbot on chatfuel.com. This may not be the ideal medium for your specific case but it may be a quick way to get your feet wet and quickly get some feedback. Let me highlight a few benefits.
Now for some of the coding part. I frequently will use this recipe to play with an idea... create a chatbot using chatfuel, then for certain responses I have it call a custom endpoint where I can code something that returns some JSON.
http://docs.chatfuel.com/plugins/plugin-documentation/json-api
Then I head over to Glitch (https://glitch.com/) and create a project where I make an endpoint that returns JSON. This lets me add some special functionality I can't get with chatfuel alone.
I've been meaning to write a few posts about this approach. I'm generally a fan of leveraging tools/services like this even though I could very well code them from scratch. Sometimes you just want to quickly focus on the idea. I think it would be a great way for someone just starting to code as well because you very quickly get to something that's actually working and over time you can take on whatever technical aspects you want.
In the end, I've taken chatbots that I started this way and then converted them over to 100% my own code.
Hope this helps and feel free to ask me any questions. I'm happy to share some examples.
I'm a self-taught developer (web with a bit of iOS for good measure) and I'd recommend you start off with some web programming.
An excellent way to learn (if you really have no coding experience, including html and css) is to start a Wordpress blog and play around with changing the colours, links etc using a bit of html and css. This will give you some very tangible results while also teaching you the very basics of how the web works...
After that, there are numerous tutorials which will get you up to speed. My favourite to recommend is by a guy called Rob Percival - he has a paid Udemy course (I think it costs about $15) which is a really good mix of practical stuff and theory, covering the essentials of Wordpress, JS, CSS, HTML and some PHP.
Good luck!
Thanks @louisswiss I've heard that from other guys as well. The wordpress blog sounds a good idea and I'm definitely going to look for the Udemy course you mention.