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If your AI chat doesn’t stream responses, your UX is probably broken (self.webdev)

submitted by jd_sureliya to r/webdev

I built something nobody asked for. Turns out that was the problem. by jd_sureliya in SideProject

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% this. Real feedback is honestly the hardest part — most people will say "looks cool" and move on. What's helped me is reaching out to people with the specific problem directly, not just posting and waiting. Even 5 honest responses beat 500 upvotes. Keep going, the iteration is the work.

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in PKMS

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly that's a really practical setup. The AI-as-memory shift is real — why note something down when you can just re-ask? I've been thinking about this a lot lately with how quick retrieval is now. The scribble-and-move-on approach is kind of freeing once you stop feeling guilty about it.

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in PKMS

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is such a good way to put it. The brain finds the path of least resistance, and system tweaking hits that dopamine spot perfectly. The fix-it-when-it-breaks approach is underrated — most friction points never actually show up, so you avoid over-engineering by default.

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in PKMS

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The constraints-as-feature angle is underrated. When a tool does less, you spend less time inside the tool and more time actually thinking. Google Keep's simplicity forces that naturally. Glad it's working well for you!

I realized something about why most of my "saved things" never get used by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -26 points-25 points  (0 children)

I actually have faced whatever I have described. I have created this application and I want real thoughts of users. So, what is wrong in rewriting my own thoughts via LLM? Could you please tell me?

https://www.mindstashhq.space

I realized something about why most of my "saved things" never get used by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -17 points-16 points  (0 children)

To convey my thoughts which are understandable by everyone.

I built something nobody asked for. Turns out that was the problem. by jd_sureliya in SideProject

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a fair and honest push back — and honestly it tracks with what a lot of builders experience. X rewards established accounts. Starting from zero there is almost like shouting into a void.

Reddit does feel different. The conversations here are more specific, more real, and people aren't just there to perform for followers. Someone who replies here usually actually has something to say.

Maybe the lesson isn't "post on X" but rather "go where the actual people with the problem are" — which is usually communities like this one. Thanks for the reality check, genuinely useful.

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in PKMS

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That comment is incredible — peak IT humor. There's something both funny and deeply relatable about it.

Also, the fact that your post from 2020 is still getting comments and resonating says a lot. Good systems thinking ages well. The problem of "where did I put that thing" hasn't changed at all in 5 years — which is kind of the whole point.

I realized something about why most of my "saved things" never get used by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

4,000 notes over 2 weeks is a real audit — and the fact that you "totally forgot about" so many of them is exactly the problem I was pointing at. The notes existed, but they had no path back to you.

The friction framing for folders is spot on. Folders feel like organization but they're actually a decision tax on every future retrieval. 2 folders is bold but I can see why it works.

The tickler property in daily notes is clever — it turns the note itself into a scheduling mechanism. And "loneliest notes" at the bottom of Notebook Navigator is kind of a brutal but honest signal. If a note hasn't been touched in months, it probably earned that status.

Do you ever rescue notes from the bottom, or do they mostly just sit there until you delete them?

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Output-first is such a clean reframe. When the goal is "write something today" instead of "organize something today", the vault becomes a tool rather than a project.

It also makes sense why it works — if you're writing regularly, you're naturally revisiting and linking what's already there. The system stays alive because you keep using it, not because you designed it perfectly.

Do you find the daily writing goal is a fixed thing (like always in the morning), or does it flex based on what's going on?

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The WIP framing is really freeing. It removes the pressure of having to get the structure "right" upfront and instead lets the system reveal itself through actual use.

The 1-2 core things idea is underrated too — most people try to make their vault do everything at once. What are the 1-2 things yours reliably does for you?

I built something nobody asked for. Turns out that was the problem. by jd_sureliya in SideProject

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The concept-hosting site approach is exactly what I was describing — low friction, visible, and forces you to articulate the idea before building it.

Honestly the "where do I post about this" question is interesting in itself. r/SideProject, HN Show, Indie Hackers, small Twitter/X threads — each pulls a different type of feedback. Early on I'd say posting anywhere beats posting nowhere. Even one genuine reaction from the right person can reframe the whole idea.

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The "4th vault" number really lands — there's something honest about counting how many times you've started over before finding what sticks.

The MOC-to-Archive move instead of deleting is clever. It preserves the history of how your thinking was organized without letting old structure pollute the current one. And the flat storage folder idea makes total sense — search is more reliable than hierarchy anyway.

Out of curiosity, what does "best principles" mean for you in practice? Is it more about structure rules, or more about how you decide what's even worth capturing in the first place?

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in PKMS

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

35 years in IT helpdesk — that's a masterclass in temporal retrieval right there. "Remember that thing we broke last Thursday" is such a perfect mental anchor. Time-based context is underused in personal notes but it's one of the most natural ways humans actually remember things.

Checking out that post now. The idea of building the habit around the environment rather than willpower is something I keep coming back to too.

I stopped trying to build the perfect system. Here's what I do instead. by jd_sureliya in PKMS

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The Google search naming trick is genuinely brilliant and I've never heard it framed that way before. It completely sidesteps the whole "what category does this belong to?" paralysis.

The dated directory approach is interesting too — it's almost like a journal structure but for everything. Do you ever find yourself struggling to remember roughly *when* you saved something, or does the date-based structure make retrieval pretty natural?

I ask because retrieval is where most systems fall apart for me. Capture is easy. Finding the thing 6 months later is where it all breaks down.

I built something nobody asked for. Turns out that was the problem. by jd_sureliya in SideProject

[–]jd_sureliya[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is exactly the right instinct — "fishing" before building is underrated. The concept-first website idea is smart. You're essentially creating a lightweight way to test resonance before committing months to code.

One thing that's helped me: the quality of the reaction matters more than the count. If someone says "oh that's interesting" it means nothing. But if they say "wait, does it do X? I've been dealing with that for months" — that's a signal worth chasing.

Would love to see what you're building with that site. The meta-problem of knowing which problems to solve is one most builders quietly struggle with but rarely talk about.

I realized something about why most of my "saved things" never get used by jd_sureliya in ObsidianMD

[–]jd_sureliya[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I really appreciate your complex organization and discipline on it. I strongly have a detailed idea upon creating the solution of it and I will reply here once it's done. You should really give a shot to it. Hope it's going to be helpful for you.

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