

Ask HN: Review Habbit - An App to Build Your Ideal Future Self with Habits - evac

Site: www.habbit.me<p>Some Background: 2 years ago, I was a non-technical college student. At the time, I was homeschooling my younger sister when we had some difficulties with her self-discipline and productivity.<p>The Problem I'm Trying to Solve: We tried quite a number of productivity apps but they never really worked out in the long run. They were great at efficiently tracking, reminding, or organizing things, but they never really dealt with the psychological problem of motivation and perseverance. Then again, they probably weren't meant to since most developers aren't exactly behavior psychologists and most psychologists share their expertise by writing books, not programs.<p>And that's how I ended up spending an entire year researching habits, learning to code, and learning to design in photoshop in my spare time. Then it took another year to actually build the app. I managed to take care of all the designs, illustrations, writing, coding, hosting, etc.<p>First Experimental Solution: And what came out is Habbit, where your main objective is to build your future ideal self (or selves -- you have a future self at every age). And you do that by mastering the habits needed to create that future self, whether it's exercising for future fitness, learning for future knowledge, etc. For more details, there's a walkthrough demo you can try.<p>Hope you guys can try it out and let me know what works and what doesn't. Ideally, I'd like to make it a useful complement to your arsenal of productivity or self-development tools.
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dlf
Wow, this is really clever! At first I was thinking, "what is this? Why is
there a story?" ...but if you stick with it it's very, very good. You're a
very gifted illustrator and storyteller. I actually thought you borrowed the
illustrations from a storybook. If things don't work out with the app you may
have a future as a children's author. In fact, maybe you could publish a book
version of this as a companion to the app?

I wonder if the entire experience would be better if the entire UI for the
walkthrough at the beginning was the storybook without the shelf(?) and the
black background, then after the story is at the end make the "last page" a
fullscreen app?

The dark colors and the image mirroring was distracting and it isn't clear
what its purpose is until the screen rotates, which is a very cool effect. I
wonder if there's a way to achieve the same effect without rotating the screen
though.

That said, an app for building habits is something I've thought about before,
and I think your execution and creativity is way better than anything I
would've imagined. Gamification feels like a needed component, but I wouldn't
have thought of this. It almost feels like Legend of Zelda for self
improvement!

~~~
evac
Thanks for your feedbacks! And you're right about needing a favicon soon, it's
among the top items on my todo for design at the moment.

If all else fails though, I'm glad that I might have a career as a children's
author! But really, thanks for your kind words about the illustrations and
story-telling. They mean a lot to those countless drafts of redesigns and
rewrites.

I especially like your idea of publishing a book version as a companion to the
web. If the app grows big enough, I may very well do that!

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Goopplesoft
Holy shit thankfully I played through the beginning.

So here are some unedited experience thoughts so far (played 10 minutes or so
with it):

-Something is off about the landing page. TBH I left and then came back because I felt like an asshole for leaving, but there was nothing on the home page that told me how that site would help me build habbits/fix my future site.

-Make it more indicative that the home page slideshow leads to getting started with the website, I was still confused when I hit the end and it said "A request for the habbit"... I again you almost lost me at this point, I didnt know that was when the badassery began.

-Then I filled out the form and the page moved magically and what seemed like an incomplete app looking for a start date mailing list was a app full of life, and I am immediately glad I stuck through

-I will be a constant tester to improve myself, and look forward to giving a lot of feedback. But for now definitely look into making the landing page more 'hooking' and more explanative.

~~~
evac
Sorry about the confusion on the landing page, you're right that I definitely
need to convey information better from the start. Glad that you tried it to
the end though!

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sylvia
clickable link: <http://www.habbit.me>

This is interesting from other productivity apps (namely calendars and to do
lists) that I've seen in the past. The witticism in your name reinforces the
theme with the story, and the design for 'Mr.Habbit' is also unique. Design
aside (which is nice, by the way), the interface is relatively easy to use and
I've set a few habits for tomorrow.

edit: Found some areas of improvement, I'll add more to it if I can think of
anything.

\- The site (mainly images) take some time to load, and vary between three to
five seconds. Still an OK waiting time -- not the best. More importantly, it
takes some waiting time for logging in and out. The clock animation also lags
a bit as it turns and zooms in. I like that it goes from sketchbook / drawing
to cg art.

\- There isn't an easy way to go to the "future self" section of the site
other than manually typing or bookmarking "habbit.me/futureself". The other
way is through clicking "Enter Time" at your account's dashboard. Might it be
better to start right at the future self page (especially for logged in
users), rather than starting at the dashboard every time?

That's pretty much all I can think of, if there's any more I'll add to this
post. With a few improvements, I think that you definitely can go far and I
wish you the best of luck.

~~~
evac
Thanks for the insight, especially on the second point about the future self.
I'll fix that when I can.

~~~
sylvia
Glad to be of some help. Another thought: it'd be good if the closing arrow
for the future self module was located maybe within the box. If not that, then
making it easier to associate to would work.

------
marcomassaro
Wow. Just wow is all I can say. HUGE props to anyone who can learn to code and
design in just a year and put out the kind of website you did (design,
illustrations, interaction etc). I was expecting to see a cliche SaaS app
website, but love that you took a story approach which brought me right in.

A few thoughts:

\- Very hard to see the logo. I respect and understand that you are going for
a subtle look with it, but maybe a hint brighter would be nice.

\- Didn't realize when I was creating my "self" that I had to click the speech
bubbles from my future "self" in order to advance forward.

Other than that - awesome work.

~~~
evac
Thanks for your feedback! And certainly - I realize that the site title is a
little difficult to see. I'll try to improve that in my next design iteration.
(Same goes for the second point that you mentioned.)

~~~
marcomassaro
No problem. What do you do full-time?

~~~
evac
I'm a recent graduate from UC Berkeley actually and, since Habbit became such
an important project to me, I decided to continue working on this as my full-
time job instead. :)

~~~
marcomassaro
Best of luck!

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dcolgan
Wow this is beautiful. The opening captured my attention well and it guided me
through everything so that I knew exactly what was going on. I love the little
story at the beginning. The site engages me emotionally which is something
that a generic goal tracking site wouldn't do. I'm going to give the site a go
around to start some habits I've been wanting to start and see if it helps.

As an aside, do you have a monetization strategy for this site?

~~~
evac
Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate you taking the time to
review!

As for my business model, you pay what you feel it's worth. At the end of
every month, you can review your progress and set your price. While that might
not be a contemporary method, I feel that each individual will probably derive
different levels of value from Habbit. :)

~~~
GFischer
You might want to do some kind of emotional connection before "donating"
paying (1), and review the studies on "pay what you wish".

I can't find the best one I saw (which I believe said to set a default price),
but I found these others:

[http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/07/20/how-to-maximize-
pay-w...](http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/07/20/how-to-maximize-pay-what-you-
wish-pricing/)

this one is long, but has a section on "pay what you wish" midway through.

[http://conversionxl.com/pricing-experiments-you-might-not-
kn...](http://conversionxl.com/pricing-experiments-you-might-not-know-but-can-
learn-from/?utm_source=hackernewsletter&utm_medium=email)

(1) I mean something like saying: "you accomplished X goal this month !!!".
Probably someone else has more specific advice :) , I've never tried pay-as-
you wish myself, but seen lots of previous advice here!

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milkmiruku
misc quick random thoughts

I loved the intro. I've seen the Epic Win framing, but a friend I found who
was using it ended up not turning it on to see all the things they were not
epically winning at. This made me think of The Diamond Age.

I thought I'd gotten it wrong and that instead of my name, I was supposed to
have entered a habit, think I misunderstood the text.

How do I undo task completion? Things got slightly confusing after entering
three habits. I didn't realise I'd started one, then refreshed and completed
it accidentally. The rotating green circle showing Done is nice, but erk, I am
not worthy yet! Maybe similar and other-colour to show something is in
progress?

(edit; I guess that Done Today relates to the growing of the plant? Apologies,
I'm slightly confused. I'll leave it open and come back later.)

(edit2; got it started but not green now)

Even though it says done, I can't start another task. I check the first task,
almost forgetting that I need to mouseover the figure and click (having to
wait to mouseover to get the advice doesn't help, someone might not try that)
to enter the task options. I can pause it there, then change. Doing that from
the clock page would be one less hidden away click. Also, a transition to get
into the task zone could help? If that stalk is going to grow as time goes by,
make it pulse glow or something to gain intrigue?

One can enter items for future years. I see now I then choose to 'Set as
Active Future Self'. I like that idea of context switching, the "future as
existence in progress", but the UX/IA is not entirely intuitive yet. A way to
jump between myselves from the panelled screen would be quicker.

How far might you looking to use the metaphors? "Story Mode" for the younger
at heart? Golden thread and such could be worth using. Or a pool of suggested
habits? Or questions that can be answered to help gain insight (and track past
selves later on)? Or Oblique Strategies? Or an anonymously networked Half
Bakery like spiders web that can be visited and interacted with.. And/or a
dream diary?

Could a length of time be involved for some types of habit that require it?
"'Do something for 35 minutes related to your _project work_!', suggests the
Habbit to your Second Future Self, as you both stroll along the banks of
time.."

Somehow suggest to users to bookmark and maybe pin the tab?

~~~
evac
Wow, thanks for your wealth of feedbacks! It's especially valuable to me since
I'm so used to the interface that I wasn't quite sure which part of the
interface might not be as intuitive as I liked.

Thanks also for your ideas, definitely considering some of them already!

~~~
milkmiruku
Glad I could help some, and thanks for creating the site. Any chance of a
basic blog or Twitter for notification of changes?

~~~
evac
Yep, probably going to get a basic blog up by the end of this week (as soon as
I take care of a dozen urgent things on my todo list!)

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AlexDanger
Stunning site and remarkably original approach to an old problem. I look
forward to giving this a proper trial.

I dont suppose you have data on the age distribution of people using the site?
My 13 year old self might have sniggered at the storybook style but the way
you've dealt with the psychology of motivation and habits seems suitable for
all ages.

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Braadworst
Ok this is awesome. I really need this. When I try to change my way of life, I
mostly do a good job in the beginning but than all of a sudden I find myself
once again where I left off. It is really frustrating. I need to find
something more sustainable. So I hope this helps me Thnx!

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alex_g
Honestly one of the coolest sites I've seen in a while, but if I hadn't read
the comments, I would have left the site right away- there's no hook to get a
user to stay there!

But the design and effects/transitions are crazy awesome and they're pulled
off perfectly. I really like how it gets you to think about who you want to be
first- so then you can choose habits that will help you get there. To be
honest though, I'm currently using an app Lift that I found a few days ago. If
you made a mobile version of this, I would switch in a heartbeat, however!

~~~
evac
I'm glad that you like it! And thanks for the feedback, I'll definitely be
working on how to better hook users on the homepage.

I plan on having a mobile version of the app too, but as I'm still only one
person working on the web app full-time, it might be a while before that
future mobile app comes out. In the meantime, I hope your current app works
out for you!

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recuter
This is unique. I have no idea how well it can convert or whether or not it
will actually work and help users, but it is lovingly made and I hope you
flush it out.

I think there is something here.

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roseleur
One really annoying thing is that I ran thru the whole story and added my
habits... then wanted to save by creating a profile. Typed in my email address
and preferred password. And then it stopped working. Both the buttons didn't
work, clicking on the greyed-out area didn't work either. You had a great app
there buddy, but just lost me and potentially many others.

(For bug tracking, I'm running Chrome 25.0.1364.58

~~~
evac
Thanks for letting me know. It seems that there were some problems at around
the time you were on the site (judging by the time you posted this comment).
I'm looking into it right so hopefully it doesn't happen again.

------
mooze
This is so cool! There are a few issues (clock hands load before the face
does; no detailed 'about' section) but it's pretty impressive as it is.

Since I'm following in your footsteps and about to start the 'build' phase,
I'm curious about the tools you used: which host, stack, framework etc, and
why did you choose them? Did you learn everything from scratch?

Congrats on the launch btw, it's quite a feat:)

~~~
evac
Thanks, glad you like what you see!

As for the tools I used, it's currently hosted on Heroku and I built the app
on the Meteor framework and MongoDB database. I chose them to let me focus
primarily on the core app and design. That way, while I still had to know
enough to use them, I didn't need to spend another couple months learning the
deep ends of all the technology.

In so far as learning from scratch, I actually already had a basic foundation
in the areas I needed to learn. In design, I grew up as an avid artist who
enjoyed drawing, crafting, and doing some crappy graphic designs...at one
point, I was even seriously considering becoming an architect. So picking up
photoshop and building my graphic design skills weren't too bad for me.

In programming, I took an AP computer science course in high school and loved
it. I unfortunately didn't continue programming afterward, so my ninja java
skills are pretty non-existent by now. Nevertheless, it probably helped me see
programming as something I could learn instead of this complete black box of
mystery that truly non-technical people would see.

So I feel it would be unfair toward others who had none of these backgrounds
to say that I truly learned everything from scratch. Beyond these basic skills
though, yes, I had to start from all the itty-bitty basics of web development,
such as the different languages available, figuring out what the heck is a
library/plug-in/framework/jquery, using the console, how to deploy, and so
many other first-time experiences that I can't list them all. I'm happy to say
that these are second-nature to me by now though, so if I had to do it all
again, I think I could probably build Habbit in half the time.

~~~
mooze
Thanks, Meteor looks amazing, it could well replace what I'm currently looking
at!

Our backgrounds are so similar (down to the 'considering becoming an
architect' part) it's scary - you've given me confidence that I can pull this
off on my own:)

~~~
evac
In that case, good luck to your next venture! :D

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dpweb
I really liked it. Imaginative. There's millions of startups now trying to
solve (mostly) the same set of problems. I think a good new twist is needed,
but also to pull people in. Capture their imagination, and this did it for me.

Keep at it because you obviously have some terrific creative ideas.

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onlyup
Wow, honestly.. wow. My initial impressions are that this is fantastic and I
am already planning on sticking with it!

You say "where your main objective is to build your future ideal self (or
selves -- you have a future self at every age)" in the OP. How can you have
more than 1 future self?

~~~
evac
Thanks, glad your first impression is so positive! And of course, I'll be
working hard to make it sure it stays fantastic for the long-term.

As for future selves, I'm making the assumption that what you want to be at 30
is different from what you want to be at 60. So even if they're both in the
future, they're in different stages of your future.

And in the short-term, I'm assuming that some might focus on improving a
different aspect of themselves each year, like focusing on exercise and
fitness for one year and master those habits, then move on the next year to
focus on finance and career, and so on. From that perspective, you'll have
slightly different selves and goals in each year.

Those are just my assumptions for now though. I'll probably observe and
improve the use of future selves over time based on actual usage.

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klaut
This is so beautiful! I will use it to set some habits i failed in the past.

