The backstory
2024-11-24
There’s a unique pleasure in building something from scratch. Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in creating Cuadro, a tool designed to make data analysis simple and accessible for everyone. This post combines a few experiences: learning web development, iterating on design, and democratizing data analysis.
In nearly a decade of working in software, I’ve seen how much people struggle with tools like Excel, Sheets, or BI platforms. There’s this stark divide between those who can look at raw data and instinctively know how to make sense of it, and those who feel completely overwhelmed. I have often been called an 'Excel Wizard'. But that's just it - the things I often help are quite simple given my background.
It’s not their fault. The interfaces of traditional data tools, while powerful, are notoriously complex and unfriendly to beginners. Creating even simple charts can feel like an uphill battle—time-consuming and unintuitive. And as functionality grows, so does complexity, leaving behind a huge group of potential users.
I want to bridge that gap. My goal isn’t to build the most feature-rich product; it’s to build one that a complete beginner can use to create insights effortlessly. The focus is on guiding users to make sense of their data in an intuitive way. No, I won't have every chart known to mankind, but I will offer the most common and typical insights you can find in tabular data.
If there’s one thing that’s surprised me, it’s how much time I’ve spent on design. Crafting an intuitive, user-friendly interface has been far harder than I expected. I’ve iterated endlessly on styles, wireframes, and workflows.
Despite starting with a Figma mockup, the real breakthroughs came from watching users interact with the tool and revisiting concepts after testing. Tools like Tableau, though complex, have also provided inspiration for organizing chart-building processes.
Of course, I'm also using this project as an opportunity to finally learn proper web development. I can't believe I'm actually coding some software! It really feels great to be building something. Granted, Chat GPT is helping with the more complex stuff, but I'm getting better and more comfortable every day. I look forward to integrating a back end (Supabase?) and Open AI - those will be a big step up in my game!
Of course, there's the entire commercial side of this as well. The tool is not officially launched but it is available to those that search for it. It's been fun to discover the Indie Hacker community. These are folks that dedicate their career to being a solo entrepreneur building SAAS products. There are a bunch of subreddits and people on X talking about it. On one hand, it’s inspiring to see people successfully launching micro SaaS products and building sustainable businesses. On the other, the sheer amount of noise—boasting, shovel-ware, and get-rich-quick pitches on Reddit and X—can be overwhelming.
It’s easy to lose focus and forget that, as a product manager, I already have a solid foundation in building and positioning products. Still, the journey has been valuable. I’ve picked up insights about platforms like Product Hunt and other directories that can help market Cuadro when it’s ready. Balancing the excitement with a critical eye has been key, and it’s made me even more determined to build something meaningful.
It’s been four months since I created Cuadro’s repository, and I’ve learned so much already. Building this project has reminded me how much I love creating, learning, and refining. But more than anything, it’s reminded me of the importance of empathy in design—understanding what users need and meeting them where they are.
Here’s to the journey ahead—and to making data analysis something anyone can enjoy.