I spent over four weeks working 6 to 8 hours a day developing my first SaaS web application, which integrates AI with Gmail and includes features like AI Suggestions & Autocomplete for writing emails, AI Email Insights, and automated AI-based email labeling (similar to what Apple did in iOS 18). It was an experimental project to deepen my knowledge of Next.js and OAuth. Despite investing extra time to enhance it, and creating both free and pro tiers, my friends told me that no one would trust the product because it requires sensitive permissions. Did I just waste a month of my life on something that might not be used?
Please share your thoughts.
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When I started my first email outsourcing company in 2004, people laughed at us. Even when we added a spam filter, they laughed. Eventually, we sold the company with 38,000 subscribers, and guess who had the last laugh 
If your product is better than what Google offers, people will notice and spread the word.
I agree, it might not have been my first choice for a startup because Google already has similar features, so it will be challenging.
However, as someone suggested, you could consider developing a Chrome extension. Enhance it by including metrics, like how long it takes for people to respond, and provide insights with graphs showing response times and open rates.
For example, your AI could recommend sending a message at a specific time, like 12:45 pm, based on these insights. Just a thought!
Every prosperous business owner has encountered those who told them their idea would fail. People who don’t work in IT, people who aren’t doing it for themselves, people who haven’t done the homework, people who just don’t grasp it.
Make your own decisions and perform your own research. Even if you discover that nobody uses it in the end, it doesn’t really matter because you still gained knowledge and only needed to invest a little time.
What sort of access is necessary? I believe it’s okay if it’s only email addresses and titles labeled.
It becomes more dubious if it reads and parses the entire email since it can be used to steal accounts because it can see your verification emails. Personally, unless it’s a well-known, respectable company, I wouldn’t trust anyone offering it.
They use devices for this reason. AI for applications such as these
Consider your product to be the building block of something beneficial. Select and interview a subset of users, then develop a feature set specifically for them. For instance, if a small business owner receives emails from clients requesting reservations, having the ability to check the calendar, make the reservation, and reply would be a useful tool.
You’re out of luck if you assume you can just develop something and hit it big without having to make any changes or adjustments for users who will really utilize the product.
That’s excellent feedback; simply put it into practice and go. Repeat after rinsing.
I apologize if this seems harsh, but a month spent discovering and learning new things is not a month wasted.
Why not turn this into a Chrome add-on? Avoid using Gmail BS completely.