Especially, after our routines have changed so much this year. No more commuting time, no more traveling, — as these were the perfect moments to catch up with the reading queue.
Having these questions in mind, I started working on Alfread.
I came up with a simple prototype in early April, tested it with 5 users, did another iteration, and tested it again.
It was surprising to learn how many people have the same problem and were willing to spend 45 minutes talking to a stranger:
The whole idea of Alfread is to retain the reading habit. Also, to put you, the user, in control of what you save and read.
There's no point to treat your reading list as a to-do list. Not everything you save is worth reading.
That's why we make it extremely easy to get rid of articles you aren't interested in anymore and find the one that will be worth your time.
Articles tend to lose relevancy over time.
I bet you have articles saved from years ago.
Alfread can help you keep your reading queue fresh and clean:
Most people aren't big fans of notifications.
But what if they worked on your terms? Showing you exactly what you've saved?
You can receive a gentle reminder not only when you want but also where you want 🤯 Like at a public transport stop, favorite coffee shop, or lunch place.
If you want to learn more about Alfread and even try it out, sign up for beta access: alfreadapp.com
On the left: Stojo, "the world's first" collapsible reusable cup, got popular in 2019, manufactured in China.
On the right: also a collapsible reusable cup, but from the 1960's, manufactured in the Soviet Union.
A thread 👇
These cups got popular in the Soviet Union among tourists: they took little space, were extremely easy to use and clean.
It was also a necessary utility for germophobes: when using "vending machines" for soda where everyone shared the same glasses for drinking 😬
Turns out, even the Soviet Union wasn't the first to invent collapsible cups. The first patent for it dates back to 1906 and it has already expired: patents.google.com/patent/US87975…
You might know the "If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late" quote by @reidhoffman.
I wonder what Reid thinks about it now but it seems like the embarrassment era is over.
Thread 1/5
@reidhoffman Companies like Notion, Figma, Navigator (to name a few) have proven a point of really polished MVP’s: I really doubt that any of them experienced any kind of embarrassment after launching their first version.
2/5
@reidhoffman It became normal to spend a couple of years on a product before releasing it to the market, evolving it internally by showing and testing it with a limited number of interested customers.
3/5