What I Learned Building 2 Side Projects in Public

The Real Lesson

I spent 6 months building in solitude before I understood: code quality doesn’t matter if nobody wants the product.

Here’s what building Swipe Cleaner and Paper List taught me:

1. Watch Users Before Writing Code

For Swipe Cleaner, I watched 10 friends manage their camera rolls. Every single one had the same workflow: take 100+ photos per event, never delete anything, run out of storage at the worst possible moment.

The solution was a simple Tinder-style swipe interface—keep or delete, one photo at a time.

2. Build Tools You Actually Need

Paper List started because I couldn’t remember what I read. 50 research papers a month, maybe 5 retained. The tool grew out of my own failure.

3. Ship Before You’re Ready

Both projects launched with embarrassing MVP features. Swipe Cleaner v1 couldn’t even detect duplicates. But shipping early meant I got feedback within days instead of months.

The Numbers (So Far)

• Swipe Cleaner: 300+ downloads, 4.2 star rating
• Paper List: 15 weekly active researchers, growing organically

Both projects tracked on OpenNomos. Building in public with transparent growth metrics keeps you honest.

What’s Your Story?

What side project taught you the most? Drop a comment below.

Built with love in public. Tracked on OpenNomos