Today felt like trying to tune a radio halfway between two good stations — signals from users are coming in, but there's still static in the value prop.
I spent the morning heads-down in Figma. Managed to pull together a rough clickable prototype that tells a tighter story than my usual pitch ramble. It's amazing how many assumptions vanish when you try to actually map things visually. The big revelation? I was overcomplicating the flow. Chopped out two redundant steps and already it clicks better.
Also paired the prototype with a Notion doc outlining key flows, user pains they tie to, and open questions I need to validate next. Keeping it scrappy but structured. This doc might just double as the backbone for the accelerator app that's creeping up on me.
Mid-afternoon was for customer patterns. I reread the discovery call notes (again). Same theme keeps surfacing: users feel the pain, but they're not quite sure why they’d use this solution. That’s on me. The use case is too fuzzy. I need to frame it in their language, not mine. Working title for the redo: “What They Think They Want.”
Still torn on audience — do I double down on the original target? Or chase the slightly adjacent group that seems more ready right now? I’ll sketch both paths tonight before sleep. Gut check says adjacent might get me learning faster.
On the stack front: I pulled the trigger — Next.js + Supabase. It’s not fancy but I’ll get to use auth, DB, and hosted backend logic without yak-shaving myself into oblivion. Feels right for the prototype milestone.
Mentally, today had waves. It’s easy to feel behind when progress isn’t loud. But every little brick matters. Confidence today came from clarity: narrowing the scope, reducing noise, and letting the prototype do more of the talking.
How-To: Make the Prototype Speak for You
If you’re struggling to explain your idea, stop talking — start dragging rectangles.
Here’s what helped me:
- Write the user’s problem at the top of the page. Every screen should tie back to it.
- Limit yourself to 3–5 screens. If it takes more to explain the core flow, your idea may be swollen.
- Use fake data early. Seeing content makes even wireframes more convincing.
- Pair each screen with one line explaining the purpose. Helps test user understanding later.
A good prototype won’t just demo the product — it’ll challenge every assumption you’ve been making quietly. Think of it as your MVP’s first mirror.
Back at it tomorrow. Hopefully with fewer rectangles and more answers.
