I spent 1,000+ hours talking with 150+ No-code Founders, who have generated millions of dollars with their businesses without actually writing code.
How are they doing it?
I spent years researching and building on what they do. I wrote The Lean Side Project so you can build and launch your product.
Share your homescreen, apps and wallpaper
1. No-code tool comparison: Adalo vs Glide - Why use Adalo to build this compared to Glide?
This maker had previously built a native app using Adalo. So why not leverage your knowledge and build in it again? That's exactly what Sebastian did. But if you haven't used either and not sure which one you should use I put together a quick guide to help you:
Definition:
What is a PWA:(Progressive Web App)
1. Exclusively shows as mobile view and when on a desktop it appears within a mobile phone frame
2. Allows you to bookmark and have a link to the homescreen on your app
3. The URL structure for your app is not customizable. Will need to think about your distribution strategy as well as your goals to test a simple v1 to validate
Why and when to use Adalo:
1. Adalo can do both native apps and desktop apps also has ability to create a PWA
2. Adalo is a higher learning curve than an app like Glide, I would say medium level
3. Adalo allows you to create a backend CMS within its application, you can also connect to Airtable
Why and when to use Glide:
1. Glide uses google sheets exclusively as a backend for your CMS. And it is built within the Glide app
2. Glide was exclusively a PWA but is now allowing for a desktop version of your app
3. Glide has one of the lowest learning curves for creating a fully responsive web app. I am amazed at the things that you can do by creating a fully functional app
4. Great templates to use that can jumpstart your learning
2. No-code tool feature: Adalo + Airtable - In this example, Sebastian uses Adalo to connect to Airtable. Airtable acts like the CMS here where it houses all the information to display on the front end that is designed in Adalo. It appears that Sebastian is just embeding the Airtable base into Adalo and using the Gallery view from Airtable. This is a great minimal way to leverage both Adalo Airtable. Sebastian has made it even easier by alllowing anyone to submit a project by including a button that links to an Airtable form. When a user submits their project is can display dynamically back into the Airtable base and Front end of the website.
3. Product Strategy: Value creation vs Value capture
Besides overbuilding your V1, the other major miss that I see when I evaluate projects that failed to launch or gain traction is there is not a clear value creation and value capture mechanisms in the landing page.
This may seem basic, and it is a basic fundamentals. But in this example a value capture mechanism is missing. And an example here in this project is it allows for anyone to submit their screen through an Airtable form, but the form fails to ask for an email so the Maker doesn't have the ability to build an audience.
Further on the main page, there should be an email sign up for some incentive to receive more by email or find more tips and tricks to make your app screen work for you and increase your productivity.
Something like that to motivate sign up. Because you are creating this value, you should be atleast enabling users to give value back. It's only through this value exchange will you then begin to study and understand where is the point of value inflection? Because then you can talk to these early users, understand what they liked what they would like to see and you can then start building a product that helps that problem.
it's okay if you are launching a product to see if you can just make it. But if you are going through the trouble of launching on Product Hunt why not set up proper feedback loops to see what you can discover to built off of it. It is only through creating things then do you begin to really understand the gaps in the problem or itch you have to scratch. Then once you understand the gaps you've earned the right to try and solve them. If you do well enough you can ask for payment. But you have to make the thing.
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