[Iter-X] 14/100days

Note: This article was translated for me by AI. I wrote the original in Chinese. I never use AI to write my articles, because that would cost me my own expression; my freedom to express myself is always the most valuable part of my work. So if you can read Chinese, I recommend reading the Chinese version, where you will get the most original and unfiltered version. That said, technological progress exists to give us more convenience, so I will continue using AI to translate my writing into multiple languages, allowing valuable content to reach more people.

Day1️⃣4️⃣

I think doing design has significant advantages over diving straight into frontend development, besides just consuming time and energy:

1. It helps to clear your thoughts well.
2. It allows you to create better-looking UIs.

The fundamental reason, I think, is the different levels of effort involved. When jumping straight into coding, you can work with vague ideas, but if you need to make adjustments during the implementation, the cost becomes quite high. On the other hand, dragging and dropping elements in Figma requires much less effort, and sometimes you can experiment and expand your thoughts.

Although I’ve worked on many projects before, this time I’ve taken a more serious approach to design, controlling the details and thinking about interactions from scratch. I can’t help but feel that even the simplest MVP requires a lot of effort, and I have great respect for solo founders. Recently, I’ve noticed a phenomenon on several platforms—many people are very FOMO (especially during the period when I was inspired by DeepSeek). They’re anxious, scared that they’ll fall behind after just a day or two and miss the opportunity to make money. However, some things just can’t be rushed. Although the startup market is all about racing against time, fearing that a second could mean losing the market, I still lean toward a long-term approach. Technology moves in waves, and you never know which wave will be the biggest or the one that helps you stand up. What you can do is keep sharpening yourself on the sea. You only need to catch a wave or two and manage to stand up—then it’s enough. Always remember, the tide will eventually go out, and how many will be left with their pants down?

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Today, I turned an idea for a city selection page into reality, and it feels great. I love the feeling of creation, like coding or painting—creating something from nothing. I enjoy it! I had originally planned to outsource the design, but since I shifted my focus to academics and exam prep, I had to take this responsibility on myself. I think it’s a blessing in disguise, as it allows me to fully bring my ideas to life. Though at times I’ve struggled with my aesthetics and design skills, I still strive to learn from excellent and eye-catching designs. I also often talk with designers I know to get feedback on my ideas and ask for help. However, I’ve realized that design is really subjective; each designer’s style is unique. So, I often don’t agree with some design ideas, and it leads to lots of back-and-forth discussions and revisions. But it’s also great—sometimes we exchange ideas, try things out, and new results come out of it. I’d love to have the chance in the future to make some merchandise for this app to give to users and key creators 🤡

Here’s an update on the current progress:

1. Prototype & UI/UX Design: 15%
2. Backend (Go) Development: 14%
3. Client-side (Flutter) Progress: 3%
4. Data: 5%

If you think you meet the following criteria, feel free to reach out:

1. Can persevere
2. Has dreams
3. Has an interest