AI Made Building Easier. Getting Your First 10 Users Is Still Hard.

A few months ago, I started building a project called Critique.

The idea was simple: give developers and indie makers a place to share what they're building, ask one focused question, and get honest feedback from real people.

I thought building the product would be the biggest challenge.

I was wrong.
Building software is getting easier
AI tools have changed how developers work.

Today, you can:

• Generate a frontend in minutes.
• Build APIs with AI assistance.
• Debug code faster.
• Create prototypes without a large team. As a solo developer, I use these tools to move faster.

But there's a problem.

Building something doesn't mean people will use it.

You can have a working application, a clean interface, and a long list of features, but still struggle to find your first users.
The real challenge starts after building
When I started working on Critique, I realised that getting feedback was not as easy as I expected.

Posting a project on social media might get you a few likes.

Sharing it in a community might get you some comments.

But those things don't always tell you what you actually need to know:

• Does someone understand what I'm building?
• Would they use it?
• What's confusing?
• What should I improve first? I didn't want another place where people simply promote their projects.

I wanted to build something around meaningful feedback.
Why I built Critique
Critique is an open-source platform built around one simple workflow:

1. Share your project.
2. Ask one specific question.
3. Let real people explore it.
4. Collect feedback.
5. Use that feedback to improve. The goal isn't to collect as many opinions as possible.

It's to get useful perspectives that help you make better decisions.

You can explore it here:

• Website: https://critique.page
• GitHub: https://github.com/BistaDinesh03/critique What I'm learning as a solo founder Building Critique has taught me a few things.

1. More features don't automatically mean more value.

Sometimes one useful feature is better than ten features nobody asked for.

1. Getting users requires conversations.

You can't just publish a product and expect people to discover it. You need to talk to people, understand their problems, and listen.

1. Feedback is only useful when you act on it.

Collecting feedback is the beginning. Understanding it and deciding what to change is where the real work happens.

1. Open source is about people, not just code.

A contributor who reports a problem, improves documentation, or helps another user can make a meaningful difference.
What's next for Critique?
I'm still improving the platform, fixing issues, and learning from the people who use it.

I also want to make it easier for developers to discover interesting projects and give each other useful feedback.

I don't have everything figured out yet. That's part of building in public.
A question for other developers
If you're building a side project, startup, or open-source tool:

What's your biggest challenge right now?

• Building the product?
• Finding your first 10 users?
• Getting honest feedback?
• Turning feedback into improvements? I'd genuinely like to hear what you're experiencing.