I challenged myself to build a sticky note app that's finally more useful than annoying. I think I got it right!
Good evening, r/SideProject !
Solo dev here, squeezing in a few hours here and there after my day job. I'm proud to share my first side project that I managed to complete and release!
The problem: There are a ton of sticky note apps out there, but none of them quite hit the spot for me. Either retrieving my notes took too long, the notes kept disappearing behind other program windows, or both. In short, they became more of a burden than the promised boost to my productivity.
The core idea: What if, instead, you could create and assign notes to specific programs so they "live" inside them?
Let's say you take a month-long break from a book project. When you reopen MS Word, the file instantly loads up with a floating note that feels like part of Word's UI. Switch to your browser, and the note disappears along with Word. Don't want it to disappear? Pin it. Obstructing your work? Dock it to the side.
Basically, it's good old sticky notes with context awareness and a ton of QoL that should’ve been built into the OS from the beginning.
What I built: A lightweight, fast, and unobtrusive installable sticky notes app. When you don't need it, you won't notice it's running (hides in the tray). When you do, you can instantly create notes with a keyboard shortcut.
There's also a central 'Note Manager**'** to look up your notes without having to spin up their assigned programs, an 'old-fashioned', always-on-top, unassociated note, a 'utility note' with a built-in calculator that doesn't disappear on you (with more tools planned).
Stack: Tauri v2 (Rust), React + TypeScript (with Vite), Tailwind CSS
It's free to download with all core features available, with optional one-time premium purchase (screw subscriptions for every tiniest thing). Currently available for Windows 10+11, Mac version in the making.
💡Download from Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9MZNHRQMQ3TM
🌐My humble landing page: https://www.gradientbits.com/geniusnotes/ (GradientBits is my yet-to-become-successful sole proprietorship)
📺Demo YT vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yxsde5DqUI
It's my first time promoting my side project, so idk, first 5 people to provide feedback get free premium keys? 👀
Thank you for taking the time to check out my work!