One Tool: Design, build, deploy ...anywhere > fast responsive native html/JS site/app. How valuable?
This isn’t webflow or bubble or wix or other no-code platform that eventually hits a wall in functionality once things get larger /complex and locks you into their platform.
Design anything a browser can render in JavaScript. Build as complex a functionality as the solution demands. Do it with security of single source compiler and speed of one stop shop.
What would you pay to move that fast with that much freedom and that much assurance? And are you primarily a designer, front end, full stack, founder, biz ?
Something like Persp , https://persp.info/?ref=caf ?
Hmm I've been there back in the days and I didn't like it. Various reasons;
The optimization in workflow I'm looking for is in finding mental modals which enables me to understand (and remind) complex topics relatively easily. If you're looking to help me move fast, look into building plugins for code editors which make certain tasks easier, heck, be bold and use an existing platform like Atom or Code to build your own editor full of productivity tools.
Though right now I'm fairly sure that something with the complexity of Skyhop cannot be built from a single app, however awesome that would be.
@corstian thanks for such great feedback. Each part was good thing to consider.
Yep, after taking a brief look at Skyhop, I get why you'd say that most design and build tools out there (like webflow or weebly or wix or ..... ) couldn't handle the technical requirements of your site.
But our tool was built first to handle Desktop apps, so it could handle a website of any nature pretty much--especially if most of the complexity is in the backend. We're actually trying to simplify it functionality to make it more UX friendly with an expanded more expressive canvas for collaborative ideation like Figma, but it can build anything now. And what it builds will compile the design down to native html/js code that is compressed and very performant and much more de-risked in terms of bugs and external threats.
I also get why you'd say this would totally change your workflow, because (when we're done with it) it will be the one-stop shop for many design/devs. Hope you'll be one of them!
Hard to tell given there are so many options already in the market.
There's a space for design tools and designers skills (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc), there's a space for front end frameworks/libraries (React, Vue, Angular, etc. etc. etc) and there's a space for Servers/frameworks (RoR, Django, Laravel, and so many others), and yet another for data storage.
What you're saying is to have something that solved all of these areas with a single tool using a single language and yet, be better than all of those, otherwise, why would someone not only change to but pay for it.
I think that's indeed very valuable, and certainly, there would be people willing to pay, but at this level, it's very hard to tell what kind of solution you're talking about.
So, How valuable? Very
Would you pay? Probably not me but some people would.
Now the question for you is how feasible is this?
I for one would like something with way smaller scope to exists, a plugin to update any webpage right on the site.
I did a POC like this for a hackathon at work for one of the internal systems.
Wrote a bit more about it here: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/ideas-thread-983f24f775?commentId=-M03ciAO8CH_WQEmgKfB
Looking forward to seeing what your solution is like.
@OscarRyz thanks for the great feedback!!
There are a lot of options on both sides of the design/dev wall. A lot!! :) They all seem to be competing with each other inside their own space and live with the wall separating expressive intuitive design with performant software, while we're working to bridge those together. And you seem to be pitching up exactly what I'm laying down: we believe we'll replace all the other tools well enough that people will pay us to switch.
In a conversation just last night with CTO of a design agency and he started off saying, that's "super cool but nope its not for me. But I already got my workflow and we like it. And so I just kept asking questions, not selling, and after an hour of listening to him think thru it he basically said I know my main competitor will want to buy this and so I'm not going to give you his name but come back to me in a couple months" He basically talked himself passed his own inertia and began to see that this would change everything for him....and his competitor.
It was delightful to see him sell himself. Felt like a real transition point for me a technical guy becoming a salesperson for my team. I might even post this story to the Milestones section.
I'm glad you agree that it would be valuable. We think so too.
I like your plugin idea: we've already devised a way (still need to build it but its feasible) to ingest a clients current email and then make changes to it and re-render it. The perfect onboarding tool.