Morning Momentum & Mild Panic
Today started off deceptively productive. Knocked out two back-to-back user interviews before 10am — both with early tech adopters. Insights were 🔥. One user straight up said:
“This flow usually takes me 45 minutes. If you cut that to 15, I’d switch in a heartbeat.”
Okay. That's a mini-signal. Not a tattoo-it-on-my-MVP kind of thing yet, but enough to sketch a sharper workflow in Figma. I’m seeing a pattern now around repetitive task cycles and hidden friction.
Brought those insights straight into a new prototype pass. Onboarding flow is 80% there, and I finally got the copy to feel non-cringe, which is no small feat when you’re writing in a vacuum. Big unlock: replacing generic “Get Started” CTAs with actual verbs that match what the user already thinks they're doing. Microcopy matters more than I want it to.
Backend Decision Paralysis (In Progress…)
Spent maybe too much time today toggling between Firebase and Supabase docs like a squirrel on espresso. I'm chasing a stack that balances three things:
- Speed to MVP
- Flexibility for pivots
- Cost containment (because yeah, still pre-revenue)
Firebase is tempting. It’s like having rails greased and ready — but with handcuffs. Supabase is more modular, but I’ll have to babysit a bit more at the start. Tomorrow I’m going to test write setup scripts for both and see what actually works better in practice. No more theory spiraling.
Advisors: The Waiting Game Begins
Sent out 6 cold-but-kind emails to potential advisors. All personalized, short, and specific.
Lots of aggressive optimism. Zero replies so far.
Still, that’s expected. I’m tracking follow-ups on a Notion board so I don’t spiral every time I refresh Gmail for dopamine.
Startup Thought of the Day
You don’t need to be unanimously right — just repeatedly less wrong than yesterday.
I need to remind myself that MVP doesn't mean 100% confidence. It means confidence plus enough user pain to get to push mode. That helps me stop obsessing over details that don’t matter (yet).
✍️ What I Learned Today: User Interview Debrief Loop
Here’s the mini-framework I used to turn today’s interviews into UI improvements:
- After the interview, write down top 3 user frustrations (actual quotes if possible).
- For each frustration, map what part of your prototype addresses that problem (or doesn’t).
- If there’s a mismatch, rewrite the copy — not the feature.
- Only if that fails should you consider redesigning the flow.
People respond to language before they click buttons. Use their language. Let them feel seen in the UX.
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More progress tomorrow. Time to unplug, think, and maybe eat something green.
