First time I experienced an AHA moment in my own product ≠ success?
A few weeks ago I posted here about a painful realization: I keep building before validating.
That post blew up (at least by my standards). Tons of thoughtful comments. A lot of “you’re shipping too early / validating too late” feedback.
But in all honesty, that post had alternative motives too. Aside from actually sharing a problem I have, I wanted to validate my next idea too.
The idea was called Do Better.
Concept: analyze competitor app reviews and surface hidden product opportunities.
Turn 1-star reviews into structured roadmap insights.
On paper, it checked a lot of boxes:
- Clear pain
- Developer audience
- Tangible outcome (better retention, smarter roadmap)
This time I tried to do it “right”:
- Landing page first
- Clear positioning
- Posted it here
- Asked for feedback
Traffic? Yes.
Signups? none.
That was validation.
Just not the kind I wanted.
Just polite interest.
And polite interest is usually a slow death.
So I moved on (again)
Instead of trying to force traction, I asked myself:
What do I actually use every single week that annoys me?
I train indoors on a bike trainer a few times per week.
And here’s the thing:
I don’t care about expensive virtual worlds.
I don’t care about avatars.
I don’t care about social rides.
When I do structured workouts, I:
- Load a workout
- Put something on Netflix or YouTube
- And stare at interval numbers
But most platforms assume you want:
- A 3D world
- Gamification
- Immersion
I just wanted:
- %FTP intervals
- ERG control
- A clean timer
- Something that stays visible on top of my movie
So I built a tiny overlay app for myself.
Small.
Minimal.
Always-on-top.
Just:
- Current watts
- Target watts
- Time left
- Block timer
- Blocks remaining
- HR
- Cadence
No fluff.
The first real AHA moment
The first time I used it during a VO2 workout, something clicked.
Not in a “this will make millions” way.
But in a:
it's such a simply useful idea. Not the overthought things I made before
I didn’t have to alt-tab.
I didn’t lose my interval timer.
I didn’t have to choose between content and structure.
It felt obvious.
And that’s when it hit me:
This is the first time I’ve built something where I immediately became a real user.
Not forcing myself.
Not “testing.”
Actually using it.
That felt like an AHA moment.
But here’s the uncomfortable question
Is scratching your own itch actually enough?
We all love that mantra:
Build something you need yourself.
But:
- I am a sample size of one.
- I’m a 32-year-old indoor training nerd.
- I might be sitting in a tiny niche.
I experienced product clarity.
Not product-market fit.
Those are not the same thing.
What’s different this time?
With Do Better:
- I wanted validation.
- I wanted signups.
- I wanted traction.
With this cycling app (miniWatt.app):
- I wanted a better training experience.
- I built a POC.
- I use it every week.
No launch hype.
No big announcement.
Just utility.
And weirdly, that feels calmer.
So I’m curious
For those of you who’ve experienced a real AHA moment with your own product:
- Did it translate into traction?
- Or was it just personal resonance?
- How did you know it was bigger than you?
I’m trying to be more disciplined this year.
Not building blindly.
Not over-romanticizing “scratching your own itch.”
But also not ignoring the strongest signal I’ve ever felt while using something I built.
Because this is the first time I genuinely can’t tell:
Is this the beginning of something real?
Or just another beautifully over-engineered hobby?
If there are some Zwift geeks here, you can check it out here: http://miniwatt.app
