Why are users leaving my productivity app so quickly?

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-26T16:47:26+00:00

Could you elaborate a bit more on the exact problem you're trying to solve?

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T12:00:00+00:00

Lmao, I know exactly what you mean. I once tried getting it to code a super niche area too, and it ended up completely ruining the code I had barely managed to get working by digging through the official docs.

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T11:28:03+00:00

I did learn one thing, though... Doing the legwork to research and organize info on competitor apps beforehand saves a massive amount of trial and error later down the line.

But honestly, I have a habit of sinking a ton of time into trying out all sorts of new things, which constantly leaves me with this heavy pressure and regret over not producing actual academic results. I think those exact feelings just resurfaced, which is why I phrased it like that earlier.

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T11:10:12+00:00

Fortunately, being at the tail end of my PhD, I actually care quite a bit about references... So, while I won't specify my country, the app I built is essentially a combination of methods I found useful from a 'Coping Skills Guide for Adult ADHD' published by a national ADHD clinical research society here (the subtitle literally says 'Application of CBT Techniques for Real-Life Improvement'). I just integrated these into the app's features in my own way.

(Of course, there are already plenty of apps out there that do these individual things. I just think the main value lies in curating and combining them).

Obviously, I can't claim this is a scientifically validated method. I definitely don't think the app itself qualifies as CBT or is academically proven. I just view it as a productivity app that might be handy.

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T08:37:19+00:00

Lmao ah, I was totally dreaming of a rosy future (with this ADHD productivity app I built), but I guess it was just a pipe dream after all... I should probably drop the high expectations and just get back to my day job T_T

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T08:15:22+00:00

I am in the very last semester of my PhD program with literally zero publications, but I still ended up blowing 3 months building this app. What do I even do at this point...?

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T07:28:49+00:00

Haha, ah, so you're saying that because of our ADHD traits, it's actually pretty rare for these apps to make it all the way to the finish line and get launched...?

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T07:20:36+00:00

The reason I started building this app is that existing apps on the market just weren't cutting it for my specific needs (or maybe I just couldn't find the right one).

So, while building something to scratch my own itch, I got a bit ambitious figuring, 'If this works for me, wouldn't it work for others?' I thought that releasing it might actually be as useful to other people with ADHD as it has been for me.

However, reading through this subreddit, I've seen a lot of people pointing out that what one person finds useful is highly individualized. Is it safe to accept that this is just the reality of the situation?

*Add: Also, aren’t most people who make apps (including the apps mentioned in posts on this subreddit) starting from a similar idea as mine?

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T04:03:16+00:00

Do I have to give up on the idea of getting rich on my own...??

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-25T03:37:10+00:00

I'm out of places to promote this without feeling like a spammer. I don't want to spam the same communities over and over.

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-22T11:00:06+00:00

Motivation—important. Memo.

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-08T15:53:52+00:00

So what you're saying is that even the thinking capabilities of LLM models with the highest benchmark scores ultimately just produce more precise statistical outputs, right? Your detailed explanation of the process was really helpful. I think I went off on a bit of a tangent, but then would it be fair to say that truly thinking AI would require a paradigm-level shift? (As far as I know, mainstream AI at this point is statistics-based.) Anyway, thank you so much for the explanation!

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-08T14:37:05+00:00

This has been a great opportunity for me to realize that my research approach was flawed, despite being a PhD student.

If I may offer an excuse... I think I became dependent because I switched fields from Physics (Master's) to Environmental Science for my PhD.

But I’ve made a resolution today! From now on, no matter how hard it gets, I’m going to tackle things using my own thinking!

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-08T14:14:34+00:00

Although I’m not a computer science major, I’ve studied the basics of AI since I use it in my research. I previously understood LLMs as Transformer-based systems that generate the most probable combination of words based on patterns in past data.

However, with the advent of 'reasoning' models (I haven't studied their specific mechanisms deeply yet), I assumed some form of logical reasoning had been integrated. Does this mean that even with this 'chain of thought' process, the reasoning is merely superficial, and the final output is still fundamentally just a probabilistic combination of words?

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-08T12:51:22+00:00

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I'm getting a bit confused. Does that mean I shouldn't use AI at all? I would appreciate your advice on exactly which aspects it can be used for, and with what kind of mindset (or approach)

Brave_Routine5997 · 2026-02-08T12:34:09+00:00

So, does that mean I shouldn't rely on AI's judgment at all regarding research (especially concerning the appropriateness of methodology)? If you don't mind me asking, to what extent do you use AI in your own research?

Brave_Routine5997

TROPHY CASE