Would something like this help you?
Hi people!
I got an idea for a desktop application: since many of us open quite a few programs before we start our day (dev tools, editors, browsers etc) I made an application that lets you create "OneClick" icons which you can configure to open all the applications with one click.
Example: as a developer, I open Vscode, xampp, chrome, directories, notepad every day before I start working.
With this "OneClick tool" I could just drag and drop all these files into the "OneClick" launcher, save it (create an icon) and whenever I want to start my day, I just click on this single icon and all of the programs I previously configured are opened. And I could create more icons that would open different programs etc.
Would you pay for something like this? Of course, this would cost like $5 (or less) since this is just a microproduct.
Any feedback is appreciated, be honest as possible.
I agree with @MicahV. It's a great idea but I, personally wouldn't pay for it. Setting up a batch file or throwing programs in the startup folder is easy enough.
Although, you could target non-techie people who might be interested. Non-techies (is there a special word for them on IH? I don't want this to sound like a bad thing) at stock brokerages, CPA offices, etc. might be able to use something like this and $5 for the time saved over their work year is nothing.
ALl the best!
Hey @ksp, thanks for the comment.
I think "non-techie" is actually a good nickname for people who don't code, I don't think they would feel offended haha.
Yes you're right, programmers can create something like this pretty easily, this is why I stopped this project (I created the MVP, but didn't create a landing page), and because this problem is not that big.
Maybe it's a good time/reason to give it away for free, this was my first ever attempt to create a C# wpf so it was at least a practice. :D
I think it's a great idea! I ran a couple of searches along the lines of "launch multiple programs one icon" expecting something like this to already exist, but all I get is a bunch "how do I..." discussion questions and blog posts explaining how to make a batch file to run multiple programs.
So at least at first glance it appears that there is plenty of interest in, and no elegant solution to, this seemingly simple problem.
I'm not sure about charging for it directly, personally it doesn't seem like a problem I'd spend money on solving. But you could probably monetize in other ways while offering it for free, i.e. have people join your mailing list to get access to the app.
Thanks for the feedback!
Yes, it's true that it's not a big problem for people to pay for something like this.
The mailing list idea is really good!
Or maybe just give it away for free, and maybe include my Twitter handler in the website so maybe a few followers come to my way.
Anyways, thanks for your input MicahV! :)
Yeah, really there are a number of ways to capitalize on the audience/user base you could get from offering it for free. And you don't necessarily have to pick just one of them.
There's also a good chance that once you get some users, you'll also get some feature requests that could become the basis for a "premium" paid version.
Seems like a fun project with good potential, best of luck with it!
Thank you! :)
I like the idea, and I would use it. Would I pay for it? Maybe. Would I use it if you made it a commercial product and then got it included in Setapp (I'm assuming it's a Mac app here, but obviously might not be)? Definitely - you'd see an income from my share of its use, and it wouldn't cost me anything extra.
One feature request I'd like is to have the applications start sequentially, not in parallel. If you can't detect when something is running and settled down, just let me put a number of seconds in between each entry, since I know Slack takes about 10 seconds to start, my mail program will need about 5 seconds etc.
I'd also like to be able to put your program in my startup items and have [n] seconds before it starts my sequence, so that the rest of the OS can continue to load first.
Good luck - I'd love to hear how this progresses.
It's actually a windows app since I have a windows laptop.
I never heard of Setapp! I just checked it out and it's really interesting.
So it actually has a similar payout like skillshare - your payout depends on how many people actually download the app from their "package"? Nice. :D
Thanks for mentioning it!
Oh cool. It's a little more sophisticated than that, as it depends on the app being active to claim its share, I understand. It's fantastic value though. I've not encountered anything like it.
doing a retrospective of my mornings I found out that actually I never turn it of completely, I just close it... as result when I open it - everything is already opened. But for different work I need different set's of apps open indeed, and it might be usefull, but I'm not changing types of work so often. So my honest answer would be - no
Thank you for the honesty! Appreciated as always.
Yes I see your point - a lot of people just put their PC/laptop to "sleep mode" rather than shutting it down every evening.
Solid problem with a solid solution. I wouldn't listen to the calls for making it free right away if I were you though, maybe IH just isn't your target customer base. This is a perfect occasion to apply The Mom Test to figure out which type of customer would be willing to pay for this. Best of luck and keep us posted!
You got a point. Thanks for the feedback Barry, I appreciate it!
I'm working on a similar project called Polylink (https://polyl.ink) for managing and launching tabs across different browsers. Eventually, I was going to build a dekstop "agent" that could be run on a user's computer to launch programs in addition to the links. I think it is a great idea!
Wow, that's a really good idea. And this product actually fits perfectly to yours haha.
Good luck with your journey!