The “Open → Do → Close” rule changed how I build tools
When I started building small browser allinonetools, I thought the hard part would be the code.
It wasn’t.
The hard part was understanding why people close tools so fast.
Not because the tool is bad.
Because the experience before the tool is exhausting.
Then I noticed something.
The tools I personally use the most all follow an invisible rule:
Open → do the task → close.
No accounts.
No onboarding.
No setup.
No friction.
Just the task.
Where most “simple tools” lose users
You open a tool for a 30-second job and before you even begin:
- Create an account
- Verify email
- Accept cookies
- Watch a tour
- Choose a plan
- Fill preferences
You’re already mentally tired.
So you close the tab.
Most tools lose users before value is shown.
The tools we actually come back to
The tools we return to don’t try to convert us immediately.
They let us:
Open → finish → leave
And ironically, those are the tools we trust the most.
What I changed while building my own tools
I made one rule:
A user must be able to complete the task within seconds of opening the page.
That meant:
- No login
- No forced signup
- No feature clutter
- No marketing noise
- No interruptions before the task
Just the tool, ready.
And something interesting happened.
People started trusting the tools without me asking for it.
This is psychology, not code
When someone opens a tool, they have one clear goal.
They don’t want:
- a relationship
- a dashboard
- a tutorial
They want the task done.
Help them do that quickly → trust builds automatically.
The mistake I used to make
I thought:
“If users sign up, I can retain them.”
What actually happened:
They never reached the part worth retaining.
Friction too early kills curiosity.
And curiosity is what brings people back.
When signup actually makes sense
Signup is not bad.
Bad timing is.
The right moment to ask is after:
- The task is done
- The value is clear
- They want to save progress
Now signup feels helpful, not annoying.
The checklist I now use before shipping
- Can this be used in under 10 seconds?
- Is anything blocking the task?
- Is this serving me more than the user?
- Can this work without an account?
If the answer is no → I remove things.
What I learned
The tools people love are not the most powerful.
They are the most respectful of time.
And the more I remove, the more people use them.
Less friction > more features
Curious how others here think about this:
Do you design tools around features first…
or around how fast someone can finish the task?
I realized this same truth before too. ~
I have also seen a trend: that the tools I always find myself going back to, are the same ones where I can do a thing before I even think about the interface.
Your mental model of “open → do → close” is great for that.
I believed that when customers dropped off, they didn’t see the value or weren’t interested anymore. They often just hit the friction before they get there. Signup, settings, choices, dashboards. They arrive at the task too late, the time is up.
I am running a small test now.
Can someone finish the main action after landing, within 10 seconds?
If it does not, I will consider it a design issue, not a MARKETING one.
I share your concern about postponing the accounts until after the task. When people first experience the outcome and only then get asked to save it, I’ve seen much better conversion.
Did it feel risky to remove navigation and extra UI at first? It is difficult to refrain from adding structural “helpful”.
An important reminder that for small tools, psychology is more important than functionality. Usually, the quickest way to generate value prevails.
This is gold. "Less friction > more features" should be printed and framed.
We've seen the same pattern building SaaS tools at Figue.io — the products that retain users aren't the feature-rich ones, they're the ones that respect time.
Your checklist is spot on. Adding one more question we ask ourselves: "Would I use this if I had 30 seconds between meetings?"
If the answer is no, something's wrong.
I've built a demo functionality for my software. Do you think that I should remove sign up from it? The thing is that it's possible to create AWS resources there, and I want to limit it somehow. Any other ideas than sign up?
My demo is here https://limeboost.io - Get Inspired
Great question — and this is a very different case from tiny tools.
For something that can create real AWS resources, removing signup completely is risky, not friction.
You don’t need full signup, but you do need lightweight protection.
You can try:
Let them try first, then ask for identity only when they cross a meaningful limit.
That way you keep the Open → Try → See value flow, without exposing yourself to abuse.
Curious what you found hardest early on?
Honestly, the hardest part was resisting the urge to add more.
As a builder, you want to improve things with features — but here, improvement meant removing things until only the task was left.
I think it's a great idea but how do you plan to monetize this? Will you charge for extra tools?
Great question — and honestly the most common one I get 😊
For me, the idea behind AllInOneTools is very clear:
I don’t want to charge for the tools.
No paywall. No limits. No “premium version”.
Because the moment a simple tool asks for money or signup, the trust is gone.
My goal is to keep every tool:
Open → Do → Close
Free, frictionless, and useful in seconds.
Monetization doesn’t come from restricting users — it comes later from scale, traffic, and trust (like ads, partnerships, etc.), while the tools themselves always stay free.
Totally makes sense, and I love the trust-first approach. Keeping the tools completely frictionless is smart—it builds credibility and loyalty that you can monetize later in ways that don’t feel forced.
The tricky part is usually scaling that trust into revenue without breaking the flow, but it sounds like you’re already thinking about the long game with ads, partnerships, and traffic.
If you want, I can share a couple ideas on how similar free-first tools have monetized at scale while keeping friction minimal—could save you some trial and error down the line.
I’d love that. I’m still early and figuring this out as I go, so learning from others who’ve done free-first well would be super helpful. Appreciate you offering.
Glad you’re open! A couple things I’ve seen work really well for free-first tools:
Optional add-ons that enhance the free experience :– nothing blocks the core tool, but power users pay for extra convenience, analytics, or integrations.
Affiliate/partnership integrations :– keep the tools free, but connect to relevant services that reward you when users convert.
Content or workflow examples that demonstrate value :– sharing guides, templates, or case studies can increase trust and naturally prime users for later monetization.
If you want, I can sketch a short roadmap for free-first growth --> monetization that avoids friction and leverages trust. It usually helps founders see the path clearly and skip early mistakes.
This is incredibly helpful — thank you for taking the time to share this.
I’m intentionally trying to go very slow with monetization and focus first on trust and usefulness. Once people genuinely rely on the tools, the right paths (ads, partnerships, maybe optional extras) should come naturally without breaking the experience.
Really appreciate you outlining this — gives me a lot to think about.
Love that approach, going slow here is actually a moat.
One thing I’ve noticed with free-first tools that really compounds trust is deciding early what will never be monetized, and being explicit about it. Users relax when they know the core won’t be touched.
If you want, I can share a simple 3-phase path I’ve seen work well (free -> reliance -> optional leverage) using real examples, no pressure at all, just patterns. Happy to pass it along.
That would be great — I’d really appreciate seeing that 3-phase path.
I’m trying to be very intentional about what will never be monetized so users can rely on the tools without hesitation. Learning from real patterns here would help a lot.
For me, the answer is simple:
If I can open a tool, finish my task in seconds, and close the tab without any friction — I trust it instantly.
No signup. No onboarding. No distractions.
That’s the rule I now follow when building tools at allinonetools.net:
Open → Do → Close