Producer Perch: A React + AI Productivity App That Actually Cares

Nicholas-Amsler — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:13:00 +0000

🎬 Producer Perch: Building an Emotionally-Aware Productivity App with React, AI, and Real Life in Mind

By Nicholas Amsler — Combat Medic turned AI Engineer

🧠 Why I Built Producer Perch

In early 2025, I built something under the radar for my wife-an amazing Executive Producer- a Mother's day surprise.

As a combat medic turned AI engineer, I watched her manage chaos with grace: juggling production timelines, emotional labor, and burnout. But she didn’t need another project board — she needed a digital workspace that supported her mind as much as her tasks.

So I built Producer Perch: a personal productivity suite that doesn’t just manage workload — it recognizes emotional context, helps regulate creative energy, and reminds the user to breathe.

🔧 Tech Stack Overview

This is a modern React SPA with some surprisingly deep integrations:

🧩 React 18+ — functional components, custom hooks
🎨 Tailwind CSS — themed interface with state-aware styles
🎧 Web Audio API — ambient sound + audio triggers
🧠 ChatGPT API — voice-to-text, emotional affirmations, journaling assistant
🧭 Custom State Engine — mode switching between Zen, Reset, and Output workflows

🎯 Key Features

Feature	Description
🧘 Zen Mode	Clears interface noise, loads ambient tracks, and slows the mind.
📢 5PM Shutdown Reminder	Sends a spoken message to “log off” and rejoin the world.
💬 Emotional AI Assistant	Uses GPT-4o to generate affirmations and reframe negative spirals.
🎬 Three Work Modes	Creative Output, Reflect/Reset, and Focus mode with different tools.
🧾 Daily Wrap Journal	Summarizes your day and helps plan tomorrow with intelligent prompts.

💡 Design Philosophy

Most productivity tools scream “do more.”

Producer Perch whispers “how are you doing?”

It’s not built for scale. It was built for someone I love. But in doing so, I stumbled on something bigger:

We can build software that cares.

🧪 Developer Notes

Some things I discovered along the way:

Tailwind’s dark mode + focus ring hacks = a delight
The Web Audio API has quirks — especially on Safari
GPT emotional prompts require nuance to avoid generic affirmations
State isolation across modes (Zen vs. Output) required careful context separation

🔒 Access Note (for Now)

Producer Perch is currently password-protected and undergoing private testing.

The GitHub repo is private and the app is not yet public-facing. This is intentional while I finalize authentication middleware and secure deployment.

📨 Want to explore it?

DM me here or on LinkedIn and I’d be happy to walk you through it.

🚀 What’s Next?

I might open-source a minimal version or evolve it into a lightweight SaaS for creative professionals.

For now, it’s a portfolio piece — and a personal reminder that we can design tech with heart.

💬 Final Thoughts

Most devs build dashboards. I built a digital desk for the person behind the projects.

And it turns out that’s exactly what she needed.

🛠 Built with love

🎖 Combat medic → AI engineer

💬 Open to feedback — who else is building emotionally intelligent apps?

🏷 Tags

#react #productivity #emotionaldesign #webdev #ai #tailwindcss

🧠 How I Built LungIQ: A Weekend Project to Train Better Respiratory Clinicians

Nicholas-Amsler — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 03:14:09 +0000

🧠 How I Built LungIQ: A Weekend Project to Train Better Respiratory Clinicians

Posted by @nicholasamsler – Founder, Amsler Labs

⸻

👋 Who Am I?

Combat medic turned AI engineer. I build open-source clinical tools under Amsler Labs that help medics, educators, and clinicians work smarter—not just harder.

⸻

🫁 The Problem

Ventilator waveforms are essential—but hard to teach. Most training methods rely on static slides, confusing animations, or outdated tools. I wanted something fast, interactive, and mobile-friendly that made waveform learning click for medics.

⸻

🚀 The Solution: LungIQ

LungIQ is a free, web-based waveform simulator built in a weekend. It lets users:
• Adjust ventilator parameters (PEEP, PIP, I:E, etc.)
• Visualize real-time changes in flow, pressure, and volume
• Simulate patterns like ARDS, asthma, COPD
• Toggle dark mode (because who wants to blind night-shift medics?)

It’s mobile-optimized and designed for use at bedside, in the classroom, or between calls.

⸻

🧰 The Stack
• Frontend: Next.js + React
• Graphing: Plotly.js (fast + flexible)
• State Management: useState + controlled form inputs
• Hosting: Vercel
• Design Focus: Touch-friendly, simple UI, no login, no clutter

⸻

🧪 Why It Matters

Every paramedic has been handed a ventilator and told, “Watch for shark fins.” But many never actually see what that looks like.

LungIQ bridges that gap with an intuitive interface for hands-on waveform exploration—no ICU or manikin required.

⸻

🛠️ What’s Next
• A challenge mode: “Identify This Pattern”
• Prebuilt case studies (ARDS, asthma, tension pneumo)
• Syncing it with my simulation doc generator (SimCraft)
• Adding waveform overlays for comparison

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👨‍💻 Open Source

Want to fork, contribute, or remix it for your own training program?

🧬 GitHub: Nicholas-Amsler/lung-iq

⸻

💬 Let’s Connect

If you’re building clinical tools, automating workflows, or want to make med education suck less—I’m in.
• 🌐 amslerlabs.com
• 💻 GitHub
• 🧪 @nicholasamsler on Dev.to

⸻

💡 TL;DR: I built a waveform trainer in a weekend. It’s free. It’s fast. And it’s for field clinicians who want to level up. Give it a try:
👉 https://lungiq.amslerlabs.com

DEV Community: Nicholas-Amsler

Producer Perch: A React + AI Productivity App That Actually Cares

🎬 Producer Perch: Building an Emotionally-Aware Productivity App with React, AI, and Real Life in Mind

🧠 Why I Built Producer Perch

🔧 Tech Stack Overview

🎯 Key Features

💡 Design Philosophy

🧪 Developer Notes

🔒 Access Note (for Now)

🚀 What’s Next?

💬 Final Thoughts

🏷 Tags

🧠 How I Built LungIQ: A Weekend Project to Train Better Respiratory Clinicians