An open-source project, a problem I experienced myself, and what I've learned trying to build a community around it.
You finish building a project.
You publish it. Maybe you share it on Reddit, X, or LinkedIn.
A few people visit. Some might even leave a star.
But then you wonder:
Did anyone actually understand what I built? What should I improve? Would anyone use it again?
I've experienced this more than once.
As an independent developer building projects in Japan, I realized that getting useful feedback can sometimes be harder than writing the code itself.
That's what led me to build Critique.
The idea behind Critique
[Insert an actual screenshot of the Critique homepage here]
I wanted to create a simple place where developers and makers could get feedback on their projects without having to chase people around different communities.
The concept is straightforward:
- Share something you've built.
- Ask one specific question.
- Let other people give honest feedback. The focus isn't on collecting likes or followers. It's on getting perspectives that can help you make better decisions about your project.
You can try it here: critique.page.
Why open source?
I could have kept the project closed, but I chose a different direction.
I wanted other developers to be able to see how the platform works and participate in building it.
That means anyone can:
- Explore the codebase.
- Report bugs and open issues.
- Suggest improvements.
- Submit pull requests.
- Help influence the project's direction. I also get to learn from people who approach problems differently than I do.
That's one of the things I enjoy most about open source.
What happened after making it public?
[Insert your actual GitHub repository screenshot here, showing stars, forks, issues and contributors]
The project has now reached:
- 2,000+ visitors
- 30+ contributors Seeing other developers open issues, review the code, submit pull requests, and contribute has made this journey much more interesting.
I'm not sharing these numbers as a success story. They're simply milestones along the way.
There are still bugs to fix, features to improve, and plenty of things I haven't figured out.
What I'm trying to learn next
The biggest challenge I'm thinking about now isn't necessarily adding more features.
It's getting people to participate.
How do you encourage someone to leave thoughtful feedback instead of just visiting a page?
How do you build a community where people genuinely want to help each other?
And how do you make a small open-source project useful enough that people keep coming back?
I'm still figuring these things out.
Come take a look
If you're building a side project, working on an open-source project, or just curious about what I'm making, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Try Critique: https://critique.page
Explore the source code: https://github.com/BistaDinesh03/critique
You don't need to contribute code to participate. Trying the platform and sharing an honest opinion is already helpful.
And if you're an open-source contributor, you're welcome to join us.
Top comments (2)
Useful feedback systems earn trust when they make the next experiment obvious. The strongest loop is specific enough to act on, tied to a real user journey, and closes when the builder can show what changed. Otherwise feedback becomes another stream of opinions that feels productive but does not improve the product.
Absolutely agree. Feedback shouldn't end when someone shares an opinion — it should help the builder decide what to try next.
I especially like your point about closing the loop by showing what changed. That's something I want Critique to encourage: not just collecting feedback, but helping makers turn it into real improvements.
Thanks for sharing this perspective!