Pickle

I want to get feedback from regular users so I implemented logic in the app to send them a one-time prompt for feedback the next time they use it. User feedback is super important to me at this point because I want to be aware of problem points in my app that I don't know about and prioritise development around them.

This week I did major visual updates to the landing page and Slack directory assets because I really hadn't done much to them since launching and they weren't exactly great. Also, registered on IndieHackers and posted all this!

I've been generally aware of somewhat similar products up to this point but hadn't done extensive research on them. I did that this week - while there doesn't appear to be anything that does exactly what Pickle does, there are products in the same general area. I'm looking to them to help prioritise my next development goals too.

Added support for Slack threads based on user feedback, and added configurable pick expiry and automatic retry actions. 95% of my time on the project has been spent on development up to this point with some breaks in between. I've refactored and fixed enough bugs that I think its time to build out the next planned features.

Some teams are actually coming back to the app after installing it and using it regularily. There are around 10 teams using it on a regular basis. I watch error logs and fix bugs as users run into them. Watching people use it is exciting, but there's a long way to go if this is going to be successful.

Up to this point people were installing the app but generally not using it. My hunch is that since they're prompted to start a trial immediately on install and the messaging around it wasn't very clear, they're just quitting. It doesn't matter if people are installing it if they aren't actually using it. I changed it so teams with 10 or less users don't need a subscription or trial, and only after that it asks them to subscribe.

I spent a crazy 6 weeks building out a basic MVP and submitted it to Slack's official app directory. They have a ton of steps and guidelines you need to follow, plus a relatively long wait period to hear back from them (3-4 weeks for new apps). I was worried that they'd reject it and I'd have to wait another month for them to get back to me again, but they accepted it and it got listed!

Started seriously planning Pickle and did a little bit of development. Funnily enough, my full-time contract ended this month. I've always maintained a large savings reserve and built up a small side income from stocks and ETFs (nothing crazy) so it wasn't a big deal fortunately. Having a good runway, I decided to give independent projects a shot instead of rushing to the next full-time gig.