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Is my idea of creating a WhatsApp custom theme extension worth pursuing?

Hi everyone! 👋

This is my first post here and I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve.

I'm at the very beginning of my IndieHacking journey. I have a few ideas that I think has potential, but they all feel quite large. To start with, I felt I should pick something simple. Because, more than becoming a millionaire ( 😅 ), my goal with the first product is to learn about the whole flow of Indie making (building, marketing, launching etc) and get a taste of it.

One of the simpler ideas I had is to build a browser extension that would let you have custom themes on WhatsApp web. I was bored with the default look of it and thought I can't be alone. I've started on it and have a rough working prototype. (I've attached a screenshot of one of the themes I'm working on)

But as I'm working, I'm kind of doubting myself whether this has any value at all! I don't know how many people use WhatsApp on the web and how concerned they are about themes. I feel like I should validate my idea before going further, but I'm not sure how.

I think I also have this weird fear that making this product might make me look like a 'not-so-serious' maker? It's basically just a bunch of CSS at the end of the day! I don't think I care too much about people thinking I'm dumb (since I know I am 😂 ), but I have to admit I'm getting this feeling.

So, my question to you is, do you think it's something worth doing? Do you use WhatsApp on the web? Would you get a browser extension to theme your favourite messenger site/client? Would you ever pay a penny for it? And lastly, do you think that fear has any base to it?

Thanks a ton for your time! I really appreciate it. English isn't my first language, please excuse me if I sound...weird. 🙃

  1. 1

    i use whatsappweb also, but also not likely to ever pay for anything to customise it...... mainly because i dont have a problem to be solved in that area. i do think its a great idea to pick a simple project to learn from end to end though.

  2. 1

    I use WhatsApp on the web.

    Personally I wouldn't pay to customise it, it doesn't mean others won't.

    It's a great idea to start with something small. Like you say, it could give you an idea of how indie projects work and practice building, promoting, launching and maintaining something is valuable.

    You could try to think of how it can bring you value even if it doesn't make any money. Like you could just do it all for free and do what you can to help it create a personal following (Twitter, email list, etc) so that you can tap into it as you either grow the project or move onto something else.

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