Indie Interviews
Can you tell us more about yourself and what led you to become an indie maker
Hi there 👋, I'm Hieu Dinh, a 28-year-old iOS software engineer living in Singapore.
My interest in programming started early on as I watched my brother spend countless hours coding. With his guidance, I began coding with Pascal at age 12, but found it quite challenging, especially the for-loop. He then introduced me to Visual Basic 6.0, which was easier to use because of its WYSIWYG interface. This helped me create my first app at 13, which won second prize in a local competition. That success was my first taste of achievement, and it was thrilling.
In high school, motivated by a deeper interest in computing, I shifted to competitive programming. This is one of my life's most impactful choices. Unlike the exploratory nature of self-taught programming, competitive programming offered me structured learning under the guidance of top-notch teachers in my hometown. Competitive programming honed my logical thinking and problem-solving skills early on. By the age of 18, I had earned third prize in the Vietnam National competitive programming contest, marking a major achievement in my career.
With a solid foundation in competitive programming, I opted to major in computer science at university. Despite achieving a high GPA, I faced periods of boredom and uncertainty about my future direction. This led me to explore various other paths, even though I didn't have a clear career trajectory in mind. I believe this is also a common experience for many students: achieving high marks and excelling in competitions, yet facing challenges in translating those accomplishments into tangible career success.
It was then that I began exploring mobile app development, starting with an Android app that helped students track homework deadlines by syncing them with their phone's calendar. This initial project introduced me to Android development and motivated me to build several more apps to sharpen my skills. A turning point came in 2016 when I purchased my first iPhone 5s. I was instantly drawn to the intuitive user experience of iOS, which led me to switch my focus to iOS development. This decision influenced the rest of my time at university and shaped my professional journey. By graduation, I had specialized in iOS, landing a job as an iOS software engineer and starting my focused career path.
I was satisfied with my job, but after years of focusing on specific products and a single professional environment, I found myself craving more creativity and exploration. Then COVID came, and its onset also provided a rare opportunity to pause and reflect, allowing many of us, myself included, to reevaluate our true passions. During this time, my desire to create and innovate came back stronger than ever. This reflective period sparked my move into indie development.
How did you come up with the idea? How do you generate ideas for your apps or projects, and how do you identify the problems or needs your app can address?
Starting with solving my own problems has always worked best for me because it's easier to know what I want from an app when I'm its first user.
My first app, Expense Buddy, was born from my need to improve on Nudget, an expense tracker I found too simple after using Money Lover, which was too complex. I wanted something in the middle, so I built it.
Then came Deeplink Buddy, a tool to make running deeplinks in the iOS simulator simpler, streamlining my everyday tasks.
My latest, CompressX, helps me share videos with colleagues more efficiently by reducing their size.
The key takeaway? It's not always about having a unique idea but about executing it in a way that stands out.
How does your day-to-day app development workflow look like?
I'm not a full-time indie developer, so my projects come to life after my day job ends. My indie hacking routine kicks off at around 9 PM daily, continuing until I hit my limit for the night. I steer clear of setting deadlines or specific goals to avoid the stress of potentially not meeting them.
My evenings are divided into three main parts:
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Checking emails and handling customer support.
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Addressing feature requests and fixing bugs.
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Exploring new ideas.
I aim for significant updates every two weeks to ensure users don't wait too long for new features or bug fixes. When users suggest feedback that's quick to implement, I try to get it out within a day or two. This way, users can immediately benefit from improvements without being tied to the regular update schedule.
How do you launch and market your app?
I often post my MVP on X to gauge initial reactions and gather feedback. X, especially the #buildinpublic community, is an excellent place for engagement. If you don't yet have a following, start building one on any social media platform. A dedicated audience can serve as early testers, offering valuable feedback and helping to introduce your app to a broader audience. When ready, expanding your launch to platforms like Product Hunt, Uneed, MicroLaunch, Alternative To, and other SaaS directories can amplify your reach.
For CompressX, sharing the MVP on 𝕏 resulted in an overwhelming response: over 400K impressions, 2K likes, and 236 retweets, all in a single day. This exposure led to my first paying customers, even though the app was initially free. I kept improving CompressX, adding features, fixing bugs, and boosting performance, all leading up to a successful official launch on Product Hunt, which significantly boosted sales. This success was largely thanks to my audience, who spread the word. If you're planning a Product Hunt launch, you might find my launch report and insights useful
What are the future plans for your app?
There are numerous feature requests and ideas still pending for CompressX in the backlog. My ambition is to establish CompressX as the go-to media compression tool that serves a wide range of customer segments. In the coming months, I intend to further refine CompressX and explore innovative ideas. I'm also looking into different approaches to enhance our SEO effectiveness.
Do you have any interesting lessons learned or tips for other indie makers?
Don’t hesitate to acquire new skills. As indie hackers, stepping out of our comfort zones is essential for growth. Developers should consider learning about design and marketing, while designers might benefit from understanding coding and publishing. Expanding our skills makes us more adaptable and better equipped to handle various facets of our businesses.
If you haven't already, join the #buildinpublic community on 𝕏. Networking with peers who face similar challenges and celebrate similar successes can be invaluable. Not only does sharing your journey publicly document your progress, but it also engages a community that can provide real-time feedback. This interaction often reveals differences between what you're building and what your customers actually want, making the feedback from this community incredibly useful.
Looking back, are there any decisions or actions you regret not taking before or during the development and launch of your apps? Is there anything you would have done differently?
There are moments when I wonder about the impact of different choices in my journey with CompressX. For instance, I often think about what might have happened if I had introduced CompressX on Reddit earlier. Despite these curiosities, I remain satisfied with the decisions I’ve made and hold no regrets. The journey of building independently is filled with unique experiences that a regular 9-5 job doesn’t offer. Whether these lead to failures or successes, each step is a valuable learning opportunity that helps shape both the project and my approach mindset.
Are there any other products that you are particularly proud of? Could you share some details about them
The first is Expense Buddy, my debut app that not only generated revenue but also marked my first successful exit when it was acquired in December 2022 - a milestone I'm particularly proud of.
The second project is Xnapper, a collaboration with my brother aimed at creating the best screenshot application. I joined the project in July 2022, and together we enhanced its functionality with major features like improved zoom capabilities, presets, aspect ratios suitable for social media, image compression, and an option to launch at login, among other upgrades. Although I left the project in 2023, I was happy to know it got acquired in March 2024. I'm reassured that the new owners are committed to further developing and improving the app, ensuring its future growth and impact.
Are there any indie makers or creators whose work you admire and follow closely?
Over the years, I've closely followed several indie makers who have greatly inspired me. Among them are Tony Dinh, Sebastian Röhl, Luca Restagno, Daniel Nguyen, Thomas Sanlis, Jarek Ceborski, and Tibo. Learning from their experiences and insights has been incredibly valuable for my own journey as an indie hacker.
Could you recommend any specific tools or resources that you believe are helpful for other indie makers, especially those just starting out?
Much of my knowledge comes directly from interacting with other startup founders on 𝕏. The #buildinpublic community is an incredible resource, full of members who freely share their successes, setbacks, lessons, and detailed accounts of what tactics succeed or fail. For anyone looking to get started, 𝕏 is a fantastic place to connect and learn from those actively building and sharing in real-time.
Thanks for reading til the end. Hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did.
Indie Interviews by Indie Goodies is all about discovering and showcasing indie makers. We firmly believe that behind every app, there's an inspiring tale of passion, creativity, and perseverance. We're always on the lookout for aspiring indie makers to feature in our series, and if you have any suggestions or recommendations, we'd love to hear from you.
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