Here's the background story. I spent 20+ years running IT strategy and PMOs for large orgs, "retired" from that world, and I'm now trying to build something that solves a real problem instead of chasing another framework or growth hack (this exact question, "does this solve a problem I have, or create one I didn't know I had," is basically why I'm here at all).
The problem I keep running into: I have thoughts worth remembering, like what a doctor said, an idea at 2am, something small my wife said at dinner, and none of it gets captured because typing feels like friction in the moment. By the time I sit down to "properly" write it, the actual detail is gone.
So I built Memoree. You talk, it transcribes, auto tags it into health, work, family, finance or idea, and you can search it later. No app store, just a browser prototype: https://x-memoree.netlify.app/
Being upfront about where this actually is: it's rough. No real backend yet, no accounts. I built it this way on purpose to test the core loop before spending time on infrastructure nobody's asked for yet.
Genuinely trying to find out if this is a real problem or just an idea that sounds better than it is. If you try it:
What would make you come back and use it a second time?
What would make you not?
Not selling anything here, just want honest reactions before I build further.
I like that you're measuring success by whether someone comes back a second time instead of whether they can record their first note.
To me, the interesting question isn't whether people forget ideas—they do. It's whether Memoree becomes the first place they instinctively turn when they have something they don't want to lose. That habit feels like the real product, and everything else supports it.
Yeah exactly, that's the real test. Capturing a note once is easy. The hard part is becoming the thing you reach for automatically, before you even finish the thought, instead of just dumping it in Notes and forgetting it exists.
That's what I'm actually watching for now: do people open it without me nudging them, do they come back the next day, does it survive once the "ooh new app" feeling wears off. If not, no amount of polish saves it.
Have you seen other apps crack this early on, or is it just trial and error?
Actually, small honest correction on what I said. The current prototype doesn't even keep memories between sessions yet, it wipes on refresh. So "watching whether people come back" is a bit ahead of where the build actually is. Right now it's really just gut feel from people using it once, not real retention data.
Which almost proves your original point better than I did. I got so focused on nailing capture that I haven't actually built the part that would let me test the habit question you raised. That's next.
Interesting.
Your follow-up actually made me think about something different.
It isn't really about retention anymore. Your correction made me realize the implication I'm thinking about only becomes visible because the product hasn't reached that stage yet, and I don't think I can explain it properly in a thread without oversimplifying it.
If you're interested, what's the best email to reach you on?
oh sure. glad to see someone is keen on this topic. =)
you can reach me at [email protected]
Thanks! I’ve just sent it over.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have a chance.