Now, after taken a break away from computer, I want to sit back and write a few words on my project Chatty.

Chatty Logo

Chatty seems to be just another social app. It is more. It aims to build active interactions between strangers through activities. Activities are breakpoints for people to build relations. We met our friends because they took the same courses with us, they watched movies together with us, they had dinner with us, etc. These activities or experiences we had together connect us. This is what Chatty wants to help.

Ok, end of quick introduction (more? Read my slides on Chatty).

At first, I want to share some tips on writing Chatty using PhoneGap, Parse and JavaScript. I changed my mind. Let me talk about running this project.

Write down your idea

Write down your idea in short and sweet sentences! Otherwise your idea slips away, and you will build something not what you thought in the end.

During the development, new ideas and features will hit you and push you away from your initial goal. I know you get so excited when you hit by the “OMG, I have a new and brilliant feature!” moment, and cannot wait to implement it. So do I. Please take a few seconds to write it down, and come back to it later (after completed what you have in hand). Probably you will find it is not that “new” or “brilliant” anymore.

Talk to friends

Ideas are cheap. DO NOT be afraid to share. Talk to different friends. When they ask “What’s the difference between XXX and yours?”, “Isn’t that what XXX has?”, “Can I do … in your app?” and etc. Questions help you define your idea and correct your direction.

Special thanks to my girlfriend!

Prototype when the idea is fresh

Your time is sparse and new idea expires. After a short period, you will no longer be motivated to realize your idea.

Fast prototyping! Use free services and fast tools to implement. Slow implementations or high costs can be optimized and reduced. But lost idea goes away forever.

Exercise

DO NOT forget to exercise! Lack of exercise hurts productivity. Exercise clears your thoughts and brings freshness to your mind.

Revise commits

Commits often and revise them before you end a day. I found it helps me get ready for the next day and have a nice sleep: refresh what you have done today, and keep progress in mind.

More on Chatty App

Readings

A few articles I read recently, provided as additional readings: