Bingo is more than just an app; it’s a testament to the power of automation and AI in the realm of freelance proposals. Created to ease my daily proposal submissions on UpWork, Bingo has not only streamlined this routine task but also significantly impacted my earnings and project acquisition. The essence of Bingo lies in its ability to generate tailored proposals effortlessly, marking a notable uptick in my send-out rate and a $50k increase in earnings since its inception.
Understanding the Requirement:
The inspiration behind Bingo sprouted from a personal bottleneck – the time-intensive task of crafting custom proposals. As AI technologies burgeoned, the vision to develop a tool capable of alleviating this bottleneck began to crystallize. The primary challenge was the secure storage of OpenAI API keys, a hurdle navigated smoothly by transitioning logic to a backend service.
Planning and Wireframing:
With an urge for swift execution, the planning phase was as agile as it gets. A simple pencil-paper wireframe and draw.io schematics laid the foundational design. Transitioning these sketches into Jira tickets catalyzed the design-to-development flow, enabling my adept team to conjure a compelling UI in less than three weeks.
Development Phase:
Simplicity was the hallmark of the development phase. Centered around enhancing proposal submission efficiency, the focus was narrowed down to a few crucial features like sign-up and proposal CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete). This lean approach propelled us to an MVP on TestFlight in under two weeks, setting a precedent for a similar upcoming opportunity.
Testing and Feedback Loop:
Being an internal project, the testing phase was ingrained in daily usage. The iterative feedback loop led to a significant pivot – migrating prompt generation logic to the backend. This move not only curtailed bugs but also eased the implementation of feedback, reflecting a gradual shift of all logic to the backend for more streamlined updates.
Launch and Post-Launch:
Though the launch was soft with minimal marketing beyond my Twitter sphere, the resonance of Bingo’s value was palpable with nearly 1k downloads and hundreds of proposals generated. The post-launch phase is marked by continuous improvements, nurturing the growth of both the app and my freelance endeavors.
Learning and Reflection:
Bingo served as a fertile ground for my team and me to delve deeper into AI integration and security best practices. Transitioning from a React Native layer to a cloud-based OpenAI implementation unveiled invaluable lessons in security and scalability.
Conclusion:
The journey of creating Bingo has been a blend of experimentation, swift execution, and continuous learning. It’s not merely an app, but a catalyst propelling my freelance business to new heights. The takeaway is clear – embrace experimentation, act swiftly, and the solutions to your problems might just be a few lines of code away.
