Plottin', schemin'
After pushing the month list feature, I've resisted the urge to keep coding blindly. The app is functional, minimal, and reliable enough. Good enough to pay a subscription for? Based on the # of people who try it and then don't come back, No. But with the right messaging & product tweaks, it could be soon.
What exactly to change is TBD. I'm scheduling calls with early adopters to get more clarity on the value Compass can deliver. The question circling my head is, "What is the differentiator to focus on?" Contenders are speed, task management, and big-picture clarity. (reply if you have any intuition here or if you'd like to do a user interview)
Finished interview 6/6 with that SF startup. If no offer comes in, I've made peace with giving up the software dev job search and joining a roadside construction crew in Kansas.
Tyler Dane
Compass got a little better last month. Seed data. Every new visitor to app.compasscalendar.com will now see relevant demo tasks and events without needing to sign up first. The descriptions include little jokes and tips on how to use the app. This helps them catch the vibe without pressuring them to hand over their email. The delete CLI command now cleans up your browser data in addition to the database, which can get stale during development. Tasks are saved in indexeddb (previously local...
You can now go from being interested in Compass to using it for real in 3.94 seconds. (Yes, I timed it.) No long onboarding or signup process. Instead, your changes are saved locally. Once you're ready to commit, you can connect your Google account through the command palette. Behind the scenes, we then sync your local changes with your GCal and our cloud servers. Why do this? To make it easier to test out the app To pave the way to offline mode To make french aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry...
This time of year comes with optimism, energy, and planning. But the only thing that we can count on is our plans not going according to plan. When that happens, it’s helpful to simply focus on what you can control today. Over the last month, we made it a lot easier to do that with Compass. You can now manage your events from the /day view just like you would on your week or month calendar. This allows you to stay on top of your tasks and events without context-switching. Tasks <> Events...