Building NudgeKai: From Side Project to Solution
The story of how frustration with existing tools led to building NudgeKai. What we learned about developer workflows, the mistakes we made, and why simplicity beats features every time.
From Frustration to Solution
The journey of building a tool that developers actually want to use
It started with a simple question: "Why is every project management tool I try either too complex or too simple?" I was working on my third side project of the year, and once again, I found myself spending more time managing my project management tool than actually building anything.
That was two years ago. Today, NudgeKai is used by hundreds of developers who were asking the same question.
This is the story of how we built it, what we learned, and why it took us longer than expected to realize that the best solution is often the simplest one.
The Problem That Wouldn't Go Away
Like most developers, I had a love-hate relationship with project management tools. I loved the idea of being organized, but I hated how much overhead they added to my workflow.
Here's what my typical project setup looked like:
My Chaotic Workflow:
- •GitHub Issues for bug tracking
- •Notion for documentation and notes
- •Trello for feature planning
- •Google Docs for meeting notes
- •Bookmarks for important links
- •A text file for the actual changelog
Sound familiar? I was constantly switching between tools, losing context, and spending way too much mental energy just trying to stay organized.
The breaking point came during a weekend hackathon. I spent the first two hours setting up my "productivity stack" instead of coding. By the time I had everything configured, half the hackathon was over.
That's when I decided to build something different.
The First Attempt (And Why It Failed)
My first instinct was to build the "ultimate" project management tool. I wanted kanban boards, gantt charts, time tracking, team collaboration, file storage, and everything else I thought I needed.
Version 1.0 Feature List:
- • Kanban boards
- • Gantt charts
- • Time tracking
- • File uploads
- • Team chat
- • Calendar integration
- • Custom fields
- • Workflow automation
- • Reporting dashboard
- • API integrations
- • Mobile app
- • Advanced permissions
I spent six months building this monster. The interface was cluttered, the learning curve was steep, and worst of all—I didn't want to use it myself.
I had recreated all the problems I was trying to solve. The tool was complex, overwhelming, and got in the way of actual work.
Lesson #1: Just because you can build something doesn't mean you should. Features are easy to add but hard to remove.
Back to Basics
After the first version flopped, I took a step back. Instead of thinking about what project management tools should have, I started thinking about what developers actually do.
I interviewed 50+ developers about their workflows. I watched how people used existing tools. I analyzed my own behavior over several months.
What I found surprised me. Despite all the fancy features available, most developers used project management tools for just four things:
1. Track Tasks
Simple todo lists with the ability to break down complex work into smaller pieces.
2. Organize Links
Keep all project-related links in one place: docs, Stack Overflow answers, GitHub issues.
3. Take Notes
Quick thoughts, meeting notes, and documentation that's easy to find later.
4. Track Progress
A simple way to see what's been shipped and communicate progress to others.
That's it. Four core workflows. Everything else was either used occasionally or not at all.
Lesson #2: People don't want more features—they want their core workflows to be effortless.
Building the Right Thing
Armed with this insight, I started over. Version 2.0 would be ruthlessly simple. Four core features, done really well.
But "simple" doesn't mean "easy to build." In fact, it's much harder. When you have unlimited features, you can solve any problem by adding more complexity. When you're constrained to four core workflows, every design decision matters.
Here's what we focused on:
Speed Over Features
Adding a task should take 5 seconds, not 30. Finding a link should be instant. Everything needed to feel fast and responsive.
Context Over Organization
Instead of complex folder structures, we grouped everything by project. All your tasks, links, notes, and progress in one place.
Clarity Over Customization
No themes, no custom fields, no configuration options. One interface that works well for everyone.
The hardest part wasn't building these features—it was saying no to everything else. Every week, someone would suggest a new feature that "would only take a day to implement."
We learned to ask: "Does this make our core workflows better, or does it just add more options?"
The Real Test
After eight months of rebuilding, we had something that looked almost boring compared to other project management tools. No fancy charts, no AI features, no social collaboration.
Just four simple screens: Tasks, Links, Notes, and Changelog.
I was nervous about launching something so minimal. Would people think it was unfinished? Would they expect more features?
But then something interesting happened. The first 100 users didn't ask for more features—they thanked us for not including them.
"Finally, a project management tool that doesn't try to manage my entire life. I can actually focus on building things instead of organizing them."
That's when we knew we were onto something.
What We Learned
Building NudgeKai taught us some hard lessons about product development, especially for developer tools:
Developers Value Time Over Features
Every minute spent learning a new tool is a minute not spent coding. The best tools disappear into your workflow.
Simple ≠Limited
You can solve complex problems with simple tools. In fact, simple tools often solve problems better because they force you to focus on what matters.
Context Switching Is the Real Enemy
The biggest productivity killer isn't slow features—it's having to use multiple tools. Consolidation beats optimization.
Constraints Breed Creativity
Limiting ourselves to four core features forced us to think creatively about how to make each one excellent.
What's Next
Today, NudgeKai is used by hundreds of developers who just want to stay organized without the overhead. We've resisted the urge to add complexity, even as we've grown.
But we're not done. We're constantly looking for ways to make our core workflows even better. How can we make task management more intuitive? How can we help people find their links faster? How can we make progress tracking more meaningful?
The questions are the same, but the answers keep getting better.
Lesson #3: The best products aren't finished—they're continuously refined based on real usage, not feature requests.
For Other Builders
If you're building tools for developers, here's what we wish we'd known from the start:
- 1Start with workflows, not features. Watch how people actually work, then build tools that fit those patterns.
- 2Optimize for daily use, not edge cases. The features people use every day matter more than the ones they might need someday.
- 3Resist feature creep religiously. Every new feature makes your tool a little more complex. Make sure the value is worth the cost.
- 4Build for yourself first. If you don't want to use your own tool every day, something's wrong.
What's your experience building developer tools? Have you struggled with the same feature creep challenges? We'd love to hear your story—there's always more to learn from fellow builders.