However, these features may not always be obvious. For Steven, the app had to create an experience that “could anticipate what a user wants to do, so that they would never need to go back to pen and paper.” This meant that GoodNotes had to build out features that could address the other pain points of note taking on paper. The second part of GoodNotes’ product development required unlocking the potential of a digital tablet as a multifunctional tool that surpasses paper. However, just recreating the writing experience was not necessarily enough to keep users, or attract die-hard analogue writers. How can the ink bleed work better? How can the texture be more realistic, to the point where people forget it’s an iPad?” Improving the note taking experience Steven says, “User Experience is the most important. Creating a convincing writing aesthetic helped users focus on their writing. For GoodNotes, the aesthetic of recreating realistic ink was crucial for a convincing writing experience. While apps, as minimum viable products (MVPs), initially focus on function over form in order to validate features, in some cases, form is part of function. As a solopreneur, Steven worked on his app’s features organically, but they centred around these two UX themes: He set out to build the app he could happily use every day, but focused on developing features around his observations from other apps. His years of first-hand experience in obsessing over product features, combined with his curiosity and self-taught understanding of startup methodology, prepared him for his new venture. This first app had mild success, but it gave him deep insight into his own working style and the product development process.
He built games with Macromedia Flash throughout secondary school and when the first iPad came out, he tried building a documentation app for developers. He had begun teaching himself programming since he was 10, before the first iPhone came out. None of the apps available in 2010 quite fitted his needs, so he set about to create his own.įortunately, GoodNotes was not Steven’s first attempt to build a product. His idea for the GoodNotes app emerged out of his own need as a student to take notes that were easy to save and didn’t take up space. Steven enrolled in the easiest electives to finish up his degree and doubled down on an app idea he had been mulling over for months. He had one final semester to complete and no clear career in sight. When there’s no clear path, build something to find it. Find out how and why GoodNotes has gained success by aiming for profitability over fundraising. After his first few years as a solopreneur, Steven began to build a team to expand GoodNotes into a tool that can realise the potential of digital note taking for every work situation. Rather than pursue a venture-backed business model, Steven’s devotion to product development and revenue-driven growth also afforded him the time to pursue other meaningful experiences in life, such as travel and be a digital nomad. Since then, he has built his product GoodNotes into an award-winning app featured on Apple’s App Store multiple times. In his last semester of university, Steven Chan registered for as many bird courses as possible and staked all his efforts into a new app.
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