I am here to tell a story. A story many would relate to.

This happened a couple of months back. Since then I have been working on finding a solution to similar challenges faced by others. My progress report is where the story will end. :-) (Bear with me, won't you?)

So, a couple of months back, one of my friends shared a challenge he was facing. He had hired a web studio for his startup and was unhappy with the frontend progress. This is how it went.

🙌 The start

My friend had approached the studio for his project. He gave them a few reference websites he loved and wanted a website visually similar (almost) to that. (There are other details, but they aren't related to my story.)
He was assured that it's not a challenge and he would have the frontend ready in 2 weeks time. (The backend and other functionalities would take time though.)

🙌 The first update

After 2 weeks, the website was nowhere near completion. A list of reasons was provided to him, with a revised timeframe. He wasn't too happy about it, but the wait didn't seem that long. (Not to mention, he was in a "in for a penny, in for a pound" scenario.)

🙌 The second update

After another 10 days, the website was up and ready for him to review. It wasn't quite there yet, but at least, there was something he could see. He would soon discover that:

a lot of elements weren't working the way they were supposed to
there were a lot of small UI issues
the mobile view was completely off

Damn!

🙌 The third update

By now, the engagement is in its 10th week. The backend is ready - not all functionalities, but enough for my friend to consider taking the system live for its consumers. The frontend, however, was still not 100%. It was largely done, but still not pixel perfect, and the mobile view was still iffy, at best.

My friend still decided to launch the website, but was largely unhappy about it. And that is when he narrated the whole ordeal to me. (We were having a few beers, so the narration was long. I have tried to sum it up in the shortest possible)

🙌 The flashback

This was nothing new. As a first time entrepreneur many years back, I had landed into the exact same situation myself - only difference was that my experience was much more harrowing than this.

And this got me thinking - shouldn't there be an easier way for the whole process?

🙌 ENTER BRINE

What I have been working on for the past few weeks
The idea was to build an AI tool to help you with your frontend worries.

What would it do, eventually?

Create a frontend package that will be 100% aligned with both the functionality and look-and-feel of the website that you love.
No drag and drop, no code required. An end-to-end solution you can communicate with in English. For example:
-- "Add a pricing page" will add a new page to your frontend, aligned with the overall design.
-- "Add a pricing table" will show you options of pricing tables you can choose, and it will generate a final pricing page that just works for you.
Be completely versatile. Whether you are looking for a set of html pages or an installable wordpress theme, or a package of react components you can use on your node project, the system will generate the necessary package for you.
Be completely customizable.

Who do we think it will help?

Business owners and entrepreneurs looking to get a good looking website ready in hours, not months. (Pay as you go plan, one fixed price for each design)
Web studios and development agencies looking to build multiple designs for their clients. (Monthly subscription. Probably no limit on number of designs they can use the system for.)

Where we are right now?

The tool is able to create frontend designs for most usecases we have tried it on. In no time, it returns a completely fresh working frontend package ready to be used.
We are able to generate static sites and wordpress themes as of now. Working on improving the system further, and making the algorithm as independent as possible before starting with the react component.
The Machine Learning algorithms we are using still needs some work. Therefore, some human intervention is required at different stages, and the final product undergoes a rigorous quality check process. This has been adding up to the time it takes to deliver the final product. But eventually, we are hopeful to get at a stage order ⟶ fulfilment in a matter of hours.
We believe GPT-3 will help us accelerate our development plans by leaps and bounds, but it is too early to say that in context. Will keep you guys updated.

The response so far

Earlier this month, we reached out to a number of business owners and a couple of web studios to pitch the idea and test waters.
12 transactions in first outreach, 26 in the second.
All orders successfully processed within 48 hours.

How can you help?

What do you think about the usefulness of the product?
What else would you like such a product to do?
Do you need a frontend made? We would love to delight you. It may take us 2 days, but the end result will definitely be worth it. :-) [And of course, special price for IH community since these orders would be pre-launch and for an alpha product.]

Would love to hear from y'all. Comments, criticism, feedback - that's what I am here for.