Behind the App: the History of Simplenote
When you just want to record something, too many bells and whistles in the app can interfere with your work, rather than help. That’s why Simplenote exists, a minimalist note-taking app and site that favors sharp yet elegant functionality over redundant features.
Simplenote began as a learning experience for creators Fred Cheng and Michael Johnston, co-founders of Simperium (later acquired by Automattic ); they had to learn how to create applications for the iPhone , so they began to work on an application that will be useful in their daily lives. It didn’t become an overnight hit, but Simplenote has slowly grown in popularity and is now available on a variety of platforms . We reached out to Fred and Mike to learn a little about their app history.
Where did the idea for the app come from? Have you tried to solve a problem you’re facing, or did the inspiration come from somewhere else?
Fred and Mike: In 2008, when the first iPhone and Android phones came out, three of us (Mike Johnston, Eric Chu, Fred Cheng) moved to Buenos Aires to work on projects and start our own company. Our main interest was mobile communications. Simplenote is an application that we decided to create in order to understand how to create applications for the iPhone, and also because there was no search at all on the first iPhone. Later we added sync because we needed an easy way to get addresses and directions from our computers to our phones.
What was the next step after you came up with it?
We didn’t have high expectations. We worked on several projects, but kept repeating them based on our own needs and the user feedback we received. In the end, there were enough users and reviews and we knew we had found something interesting. We stopped other projects to focus on Simplenote.
How did you choose which platforms to target and which to ignore or wait?
Simplenote started out as an iOS development project. Before that, we worked on a fairly large project for the very first Android device. We had the opportunity to use it personally before it was released and we weren’t big fans. Switching to iPhone development seemed like an easy choice and a good way to focus as we were a small team.
What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?
In the beginning, it was difficult to get more users. We hired a PR firm for a month, but it didn’t do any good. Posting to forums and simple customer support worked best.
What was the launch like for you?
The very first launch was not very eventful. We might have had dozens of downloads a day. We’ve emailed John Gruber about the app and he got a few requests and feedback. He eventually posted it on Daring Fireball and we had our first big day of uploads. This was not a surprise success, but our users grew steadily and we gradually noticed more posts about Simplenote (including Lifehacker!).
How do you effectively deal with user inquiries and criticism?
We’ve always appreciated user feedback. It can be frustrating at times if we introduced a mistake, but we try to remember that these notes can be a very important part of people’s lives and that they probably wouldn’t send feedback if they didn’t care.
Now how do you divide the time between developing new features and managing existing ones?
Now that Automattic has acquired Simplenote , we need to change other priorities as well. We mainly support existing features, but also try to make room for larger releases. For example, we were finally able to release an Android app and a Mac desktop app , which is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.
The appeal of Simplenote lies in its simplicity, speed and lack of clutter; how to keep the feeling of “new” without adding unnecessary features?
It is very difficult to maintain a sense of novelty. We have plans for some new collaboration-related features, but as you said, the appeal is simplicity, so we’re very careful to add anything that strays from the original spirit of Simplenote. We also tried to keep it fresh by overhauling the visual design about once a year or two.
What advice would you give to others looking to take on a similar project?
Fred: Simplenote was a side project that grew into something more, so I would say so as not to lose sight of where things can go.
Mike: I’ve thought about this many times since I decided to start a new project again. There is no formula, but I think you need to combine people, passion and perseverance in a way that works best for you and go for it. It helps to have luck along the way, but you can create opportunities for luck and be ready for it when it comes.