Toad just hit 50 beta users. Here's what I've learned (and what I'm refusing to build).

A few weeks ago, I launched the private beta for my first product, Toad – a purposefully simple grid organiser. Today, we hit 50 active users! It's a small number, but it feels huge, and the quality of the feedback has been incredible.

My core bet with Toad is that people are tired of bloated software. The goal isn't to add more features, but to remove friction. So, based on what my first users told me, I've spent the last couple of weeks focused on shipping the "frills that matter."

You Spoke, I Listened: What's New
The focus has been on making the core experience faster and more intuitive:

• A Slicker Mobile Experience: The mobile view has been redesigned to be a powerful, focused workspace, not just an on-the-go option.

• Full Drag-and-Drop: You can now drag tasks across any row or column to instantly re-organize your grid.

• Inline Editing: No more pop-ups. You can now edit any task, row, or column just by clicking on it.

• Grid Groups & Pinned Grids: You can now organize your grids into simple groups (like "Work" and "Personal") and pin your most important ones for one-click access.

• Calendar Reminders: You can now add a date to any task and, with one click, send it to your personal calendar.

• Archive Grids: Instead of permanently deleting tasks, you can now archive them to a new grid, keeping your workspace clean without losing your history.

• Save Your Own Templates: This was a big one. You can now save any grid you've perfected as a reusable template.

What We Haven't Built (and Why)
Just as important as what we build is what we choose to leave out. The most common feedback has been requests for features like two-way calendar sync, sub-tasks, and AI grid generation.

I've decided not to build these, and I want to be transparent about why. Toad's purpose is to be the antidote to complex software. Our goal is to provide clarity, not more features.

Toad is not a calendar. The one-way export is a simple way to get a reminder without turning Toad into a scheduling tool.

The solution to a complex project is a new grid, not sub-tasks. We believe clarity comes from separation, not from nesting.

Our templates are the "thoughtful AI." The magic isn't an algorithm; it's the human intelligence that goes into crafting a perfect, instant solution for you.

One Week Left to Join the Beta (https://www.meettoad.co.uk/)
This has been a huge success, and I'll be closing the beta to new members in one week.

If you have friends who you think would love Toad, please feel free to share the sign-up link. This is their last chance to get a free lifetime Personal account as a thank you.

And as always, I'd love to hear what the IH community thinks of this approach.

Thanks for following the journey!

Tom