My indie journey in 2023 has started strong.
In January I pushed out two updates for Ceramispace, both of which were packed full of features. These were features that I believe will take Ceramispace up another level, reaffirming my belief that it is an essential tool for all ceramists of any skill level.
And just last week, I began working on Classifier version 3 (which I touched on in my last post), which will make Classifier easier to use. My hope is that this update will be ready by the end of the month.
Read on to find out more about what I’ve been up to with both apps, as well as how I’m trying to gear up my marketing.
Ceramispace v2.5… and v2.6!
The initial plan was to have Ceramispace v2.5 ready by the end of January, and then v2.6 by the end of February. The truth is, I had finished both by the end of January.
Achieving this was in part due to not taking as long of a break between Christmas and New Year’s as originally planned. I did have a couple days off work in addition to the holidays, but I found myself bored and eager to keep my brain occupied. With all of the extra free time I had, I was able to make significant progress with Ceramispace and hit the ground running.
Looking back, I probably could have bundled all of the features I introduced in both updates into one, but I didn’t plan on working on v2.6 so soon after. Once v2.5 had shipped, I still had a lot of motivation to work on Ceramispace, so it made sense to channel that into the next update.
I’m now parking feature development for Ceramispace for now, while I work on the biggest update for Classifier so far.
Classifier v3
High on Classifier’s to-do list for a long time has been to reduce the onboarding friction that new users encounter when first using the app. I’ve been carefully planning over the last 3 months how I wanted this to look, and let’s just say this… it involves completely rethinking how users create their collections and add collectibles.
At present, Classifier comes bundled with about 20 different collection “templates”, which means those collectors have most of the heavy lifting done for them. They can just tap on the template, make any minor adjustments (if they desire), and then they’re ready to start digitizing their collections.
On the flip side, if a collector doesn’t collect one of the collections Classifier has a template for, they have to start from scratch. They’re faced with an ominous screen asking them to create sections and fields, and it put them off using Classifier.
In version 3, creating a collection will be a 2 step process:
- Select a collection template (similar to before), or if your collection is not shown, enter the name of it manually
- (Optional) Upload a cover photo for your collection
Easy!
The problem now is that collectors still need to choose which attributes they want to store for each collectible. Currently, most of that is handled when creating their collection, but unless you are using one of the templates, we no longer have that.
The idea is that on the screen where collectors add their collectibles, they can customize which attributes they want. Attributes used previously will be suggested and usable at the tap of a button, in addition to the option of creating new attributes. If a template was used to create the collection, then that template’s attributes will be suggested on this screen.
Marketing
As a developer, finding the motivation to market my apps properly is tough. I want to be creating features and experimenting with SwiftUI, not spending my time in Sketch creating marketing images or writing copy. BUT! Just over one month in and there’s already two new things that I’ve done!
The first isn’t that big, and it may not go anywhere. With Classifier’s big update coming soon, I filled in the App Store’s promotion form. One of my goals this year is to be featured in some form on the App Store, and this is the first place a developer would go to make that a reality. This is the first time I’ve done this, so we’ll see if anything comes of it!
The second (and in my eyes, is more exciting) is that I’ve started to reach out to social media influencers and content creators, for both Ceramispace and Classifier. I haven’t had much of a response on the Ceramispace side, but things are looking a lot brighter for Classifier!
I will be collaborating with a prominent TikToker (is that the word?!) with over 200k followers. Their target audience is very much aligned with Classifier’s, so there’s a lot of potential for getting Classifier in front of new potential users! I don’t want to spoil too much at this point, but by the time I write the next newsletter, I’ll be able to share more. I’m also looking forward to analysing how this collaboration affects Classifier’s numbers!
So a good start to the year?
It’s certainly been a good, strong, fast start to 2023, at least on the feature development and marketing front. I’m already making positive progress with Ceramispace and Classifier, and making sure they’re in a good place.
As for my indie financial goals, it’s been a bit slower than expected, but still trending in the right direction. I’m hoping that my marketing plans in the next few months will get me back on track.
How has your 2023 been so far? What have you achieved, and do you have any exciting plans? You can toot me on Mastodon!
Until next time. Adios!