Ironically, this is a great way to build actual products (if you’re open to letting them grow).
Three years ago I created a simple app for my family and friends to share recipes together. I kept adding features they requested, and after about two years, the app was apparently good enough that people started sharing it by word of mouth.
By October, the app had grown big enough that I had to start charging new users to cover server costs. I’m now contemplating a future where I work on it full-time.
> I have a boatload of feature creep ideas for you to reject... Shall I post them here, or DM you?
Ha! Either, or feel free to email me at jeff@umami.recipes.
> Take a pic of a recipe, OCR if can
The app actually has an OCR recipe importer (tap "Add Recipe" > "Scan Recipe"). It uses Apple's native iOS OCR library, which inserts text directly from the camera.
It doesn't support importing from an existing photo yet though -- that's high up on my list to build (after Android).
> else host the pic?
You can upload photos for recipes!
> However, an interesting aspect of the "recipe" app logic is that it can apply to, say, mechanics
That's a really good point. I bet much of the underlying functionality could be re-used in a completely different app focused on something like mechanics. Another example I've thought about is a separate app specific to cocktail recipes, with features tailored around mixology and bar management.
Three years ago I created a simple app for my family and friends to share recipes together. I kept adding features they requested, and after about two years, the app was apparently good enough that people started sharing it by word of mouth.
By October, the app had grown big enough that I had to start charging new users to cover server costs. I’m now contemplating a future where I work on it full-time.