Speak Diary

Navigating the sea of keywords can be overwhelming. While many argue that coming up with ideas is easy and execution is the real challenge, I've found that selecting a promising keyword and conceptualizing a valuable product around it can be equally daunting.

Some time ago, I stumbled upon an intriguing keyword through IndieHackers and another newsletter I follow. For weeks, I grappled with how to transform this keyword into a practical, user-friendly application.

A month ago, I decided to take the plunge. The common advice of "Just build it!" rang in my ears. Although building to figure things out might seem counterintuitive, in this case, it proved to be the right approach.

I set out to create a journaling app with a straightforward, dual-pane interface:

Left side: Entry cards for easy navigation
Right side: Detailed content of the selected card

The more I built it, the more ideas I got about how to mold it into a feature-rich, smart journaling tool.
This simple yet effective design became the foundation of SpeakDiary, an app that combines traditional journaling with modern features like voice-to-text, daily prompts, and goal tracking. By starting with this basic structure and iterating based on my idea of user needs, I was able to develop a tool that people find both useful and relevant in their daily lives.
Check it out here: https://speakdiary.com

This journey wasn't without its challenges. Prior attempts included Repay Smart (a loan repayments tracker), Hero-Gem (an AI tool for generating hero texts), and Phases (a SaaS lifecycle tracker). While these projects didn't gain traction, I view them as valuable portfolio pieces rather than failures.

SpeakDiary, however, marks a turning point. It's the first of my projects to gain immediate user interest, with 12 users so far and positive feedback from about half of them. This success, born from a single keyword and a willingness to start building, underscores the unpredictable nature of product development.
I can't wait to see what it grows into and share more.

You can explore SpeakDiary at https://speakdiary.com.