Launching Focus Fish as SLC, not MVP
Right before I started building Focus Fish, I found this great post about aiming to release a product that's SLC rather than MVP: https://longform.asmartbear.com/slc/.
Essentially to build quickly, your product should be small, but complete. It doesn't need to have every possible feature, but does the initial things it was built for well.
Introducing Focus Fish, a simple iOS app to help you time your study sessions, and reduce your urge to reach for your phone whilst focusing. And yes, it's missing a bunch of features that I would've previously held up release to ensure they're developed and polished. But it's simple, performs its one job well, and is hopefully lovable!
I have the initial idea planned out on Obsidian just under a month ago, and this is the entire plan:
Simple, lovable, complete
A user can start a study session of a certain time
A user can see an idle animation
A user is rewarded for completing their study session
We should give the user a collectible to aim for
Focusing on the core features, and ignoring the rest helped me go from barely a plan, to submission in less than 2 weeks, and building in public on YT (@ryancodesthings), helps me gain insight on what features people want to see!
It's approaching summer holidays, and the end of exam season, so I'm a little late to the party this year, but I'm confident I can really ramp up downloads for September onwards, and get some marketing ideas nailed over the summer.
Let me know your thoughts!
great idea but did you get user feedback? Are you solving a real user pain point?
Hey! Thanks for the questions!
Regarding solving a user pain point, I explored some existing apps in the market, and did some keyword research to make sure it wasn't too oversaturated for a new entry. Both looked good, and whilst I emphasised building SLC, that doesn't mean it was feature complete, just enough to make sure I have the foundations to build on and onboard users. There does seem to be a growing trend of people wanting some sort of digital assistant or mechanism to help them study.
I've been making some YouTube Shorts whilst building to help document and slightly validate as I'm going, and I've have some good feedback so far, but I think it'll require a little more marketing next term to really be sure.
Totally agree with the SLC approach, but sometimes building an MVP first is necessary—either for technical reasons or just to test the waters without investing too much. I think it really depends on your resources and your goals. Curious how you decide when to go SLC vs. MVP?
Great point and totally fair. I think SLC and MVP are both valid in different environments.
Quoting a snippet from the article I linked:
In a b2b environment you want to validate the idea as soon as possible, and you normally get a two way street for user feedback and improvements.
In a b2c, and more specifically mobile apps, feedback and reviews are mostly a one way street, and a consumer expects a functioning app when downloaded, otherwise it’s immediately deleted or ignored. On top of that, App Store submission processes are getting stricter, so creating a more polished product loop is more important from the start.
SLC is probably my approach for mobile apps to make sure I can nail user retention, MVP, and maybe even just a form for contact is a better way to start a discussion for b2b/SaaS.
Hopefully helps!
Really like your choice to go SLC over MVP — it’s a mindset shift that too few indie hackers talk about seriously. Focus Fish sounds like it hits the sweet spot: clean concept, clear utility, and actually shippable. That “idle animation + collectible” combo is a clever way to reward discipline without being distracting — very curious to see how that evolves.
I’m also building something minimal but complete (https://ezc.jellypie.co.uk) and totally relate to resisting the urge to pile on features before launch. Building in public on YouTube is a smart move — how are you finding the feedback loop there? Are viewers chiming in with usable suggestions?
Looking forward to seeing how you build momentum over the summer. Definitely feels like you’re onto something.
Thanks - really appreciate your comment!
YouTube feedback loop is useful, but a little slow. I've had a few good suggestions from comments, but I think I need to start making longer form content to really get some more viewers on board.
I'm still split on whether launching at the end of the school year was a smart idea, but hopefully it gives me the summer to polish some features for the new term!
Love the SLC approach — Focus Fish looks clean, purposeful, and fun. Great job getting it out fast and building in public. Excited to see where it goes! 🐟🔥
Thanks!
Sound advice focus on the core features.
Good luck with the downloads
Thank you!
Yeah I've been reading about the SLC framework for a bit... Sounds promising.
Make sure to make those collectables look good.