Meet Hector, v2
I designed and built Hector all in 30 days as really a proof of concept. Could I build a tool that did what I was looking for, and could I do it with a skill set that was ew to me? The concept has been proven, and Hector is going to be getting much more attention from me. I’ll be doing everything 100% in the open be as transparent about my process and experience as I can.
Hector’s Purpose
It’s easy to drum up a very quick reason why an idea in your head is a good idea to pursue. It’s good not to overthink things, but a quick validation in your own head usually shows up in your end result.
For me, when I decided to really dedicate my time into Hector it was really important to me to define what the purpose behind it is. For me the purpose is important so that I have a very clear vision of what Hector is suppose to be accomplishing and also so that I can use it as a filter to make all my decisions through. I have found out already that when you are building an app it is super easy to think of all the things that you can build out as features. For me I don’t just want to build something because I can. That steals away my focus from what is important. Hector will do the things I feel that it should, and it will do them well.
Defining Hector’s Purpose
The concept and execution of Hector is all based around these 2 purposes.
- Deliver a useful way for a solo freelancer to manage their entire workload. Scratch my own itch — build the tool that I wish existed but doesn’t.
- See if I can do it :) Can I build a quality experience that will truly benefit those like me — solo freelancers.
Completely in the Open
Hector is going to be getting a complete overhaul, and I plan to share everything about it. I love getting to hear the behind the scenes insight into the makers that I look up to, and I am also a big believer in sharing what you know. I know that I am going to learn a lot from this process and I want to share it along the way.
By sharing the reasoning of the whys behind the decisions I make it will also help users of the app to understand why things work the way that they do. That is my hope at least.
Building in the open is not an original concept. Chances are you have read posts, or listened to podcasts, about how people have built something. A big inspiration for me to do this is Jonnie Hallman. Jonnie has an app for freelancers called Cushion and he is building it 100% in the open, including the actual money that goes into powering the app. His documenting of his process has been really eye opening and exciting for me personally to follow.
I am not trying to steal what Jonnie is doing with Cushion, but I believe there is power in sharing, and I absolutely plan to continue to learn from him and use what he does as inspiration.
Challenges
It’s easy for me to have a roadmap in my head of what Hector should do or how it should look, but when the rubber meets the road can I actually deliver?
A big challenge for me in building Hector is just that — building it. I am mainly a front-end developer. That is what I do day in and day out to pay the bills. Hector is, and will continue to be, built in Ruby on Rails. Sure, I have the basics down and was able to get the initial version up and working, but there is a lot left for me to learn on the programming side of things. It’s going to be a challenge to include some of the things I want to in Hector. A challenge I am most certainly up for though.
It was really important for me to define who I am building this app for. It was important because Hector is a project management app and there is no shortage of really good project management apps out there. Most freelancers have used one of these apps before and many of the will come to Hector with their own unique needs. Hector will not be the app that does everything under the sun and I will have to deal with telling people no. I do believe that telling some no will allow me to make the things that I say yes to great. Regardless, that people pleaser in me is going to be something that I will struggle with probably the entire time that I continue to make products for other people.
Moving Forward
Hector is about to grow up quite a bit. Like I said earlier in this post really everything from the design to the code will be touched. My vision is to give freelancers a tool built for them and by them. The excitement is high and things are already in the works.
To keep up with Hector you can follow along at www.hectorapp.com and on Twitter at @meethector.
