I'm a software developer with ADHD who just launched adhdhelp.app — a web app offering immediate, evidence-backed strategies to cope with common ADHD modes (overwhelm, anxiety, task block, etc.). Most of the core features are ad-free and account-free; a $5/month opt-in lets you access more exercises and sounds.
When I shared the project here about two days ago, the discussion was centered on two grievances:
Pricing. Some thought any paywall was unfair, even at €5. In this niche I've not found anything cheaper, but I invite suggestions on how to structure freemium without losing users.
AI artwork. Blog posts and in-app graphics use AI-created artwork (cleared with each author). Commenters have argued I should be using human artists instead, and a few assumed the coping skills were AI-generated as well (they're not — they're compiled from CBT/DBT papers and linked on the site).
My questions to the community:
Is AI artwork a deal-breaker for you in a product like this?
Does it affect your belief in the underlying material or morals of the project?
For solo developers on budgets that are limited, what choices strike a good balance between aesthetics, cost, and principle?
Thanks for your thoughts — they will have a direct influence on how I go on to further develop the app.
Hi all. Some days I shared a link to my project, https://adhdhelp.app, here on Hacker News. I have ADHD and developed the app to help individuals like me manage everyday symptoms.
The post created a lot of heat on two fronts. First, some did not like the fact that I offer a premium level. It's 5$ a month, and the majority of the necessary tools are still free, even without an account. I know of no one in this niche asking less than this, but the backlash was horrible nonetheless.
The larger backlash was the AI artwork in my blog. Each picture was cleared with the writer of the article, but several commenters stated I should have hired a freelancer instead. The project is funded independently; paying for art per post would draw my budget quickly dry, and I intend to release a great deal.
Several individuals also assumed that if pictures are AI-created, then the therapeutic techniques must be AI-created as well. They're not. I accumulated them over months, cross-checked the research, and added a page on the website that cites the science that supports each technique.
So I'm posing the question to the community: are AI images really such a game changer? Do they render useless the value of a tool that already helps users? I'd love to know where your line is and how indy builders like me can meet expectations without sinking the ship.
Hi all. Yesterday I shared a link to my project, https://adhdhelp.app, here on Hacker News. I have ADHD and developed the app to help individuals like me manage everyday symptoms.
The post created a lot of heat on two fronts. First, some did not like the fact that I offer a premium level. It's 5$ a month, and the majority of the necessary tools are still free, even without an account. I know of no one in this niche asking less than this, but the backlash was horrible nonetheless.
The larger backlash was the AI artwork in my blog. Each picture was cleared with the writer of the article, but several commenters stated I should have hired a freelancer instead. The project is funded independently; paying for art per post would draw my budget quickly dry, and I intend to release a great deal.
Several individuals also assumed that if pictures are AI-created, then the therapeutic techniques must be AI-created as well. They're not. I accumulated them over months, cross-checked the research, and added a page on the website that cites the science that supports each technique.
So I'm posing the question to the community: are AI images really such a game changer? Do they render useless the value of a tool that already helps users? I'd love to know where your line is and how indy builders like me can meet expectations without sinking the ship.
Once an HN post gets a substantial discussion, immediate followups generally count as dupes - after all, these topics just had a big discussion. This is mentioned in the FAQ - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html (search for 'reposts')
Try making the pictures a smaller thumbnail, and redo the ones that have obvious non-real elements in the picture.
People by now are pretty used to recognizing AI-slop pictures and relying on that as an indicator that the rest of the content is low quality slop as well. You are marketing to an audience that DOES judge a book by its cover. Get local feedback on removing anything that other people think is AI generated.
Hello again, everyone. This is the author of the app. To be honest, I did not expect such a strong reaction. Thank you all for the feedback. I would like to clarify a couple of things.
Yes, I have ADHD. I'm making this site primarily to help me and my friends.
Yes, there's a paid subscription. By the way, it's the cheapest of all these apps. Well, and it's a fremium model. Most of the functions can be used even without registration. And no, I'm not trying to make money off of ADHD people for nothing. I really want to help.
Yes I use AI generated images for blog posts. They were agreed with the authors of the posts as reflective. I didn't realize that a lot of people didn't like it so much.
No I didn't use AI to mindlessly come up with self-help techniques. I've been collecting them for years of my life. I looked them up in magazines and so on. It's evidence-based. I'll add a page of proof.
Yes I absolutely need to better the UI as well as add a dark theme. I've already found a designer I know.
Yes the app is already being used by ADHD and it's already helping.
It's not that they don't fit, it's that AI-generated images are commonly used on spam/scam sites, and thus have that inauthentic/low-effort stink to them. It casts a shadow on the rest of site that says "is any of this authentic or am I reading AI slop?". You might do better to have someone do some scribbles for you on fiverr.com imo.
I have ADHD myself. Honestly, I'd like to make a service that will help everyone. To do that, I need money. I think that 5 dollars a month is not so much nowadays.
I don't blame you for it, as it's cheap, fast, and fits the context better than what can be provided usually. If you find that people are turned off by it, and want to act on it, I suggest stock images from places like Pixabay. They are royalty free so it's not much of a pain to use them, and there is a lot of good ones on the site as well. Downside is that they will probably be disjointed, like, every image will be its own style, which detracts from the unity of your website, but the upside is that you get rid of the negative associations with AI. Random idea, but you can use classical art as well, as they are all in public domain now. Then you could have the cohesion back: art, and humanity, which would fit the content well on a meta-level too.
The blog is written by real people. So do the techniques. I'm just a bad designer so I decided to generate the pictures. But actually I have diagnosed ADHD myself and all the techniques are all I've collected all my life.
Be that as it may, it _does_ still raise questions about the content and sources. If you're a bad designer (I'm a pretty terrible artist/designer myself) then I urge you to source your images from someplace ethical. Try unsplash, or google free stock images, or go on fiverr and pay an artist who won't use AI (if you can find one? I haven't tried to user fiverr in a while)
It makes it impossible. The content gives off the feeling that it will "take" and grab more than it will "give" and release.
ADHD, to me, always, even before the diagnosis, felt like a valve that doesn't open for no reason and due to the build up pressure, some other valve with different "filters" releases whatever mixture of thoughts and actions to compensate.
Children's sugar-induced behavioral roller coasters have a similar characteristic. And this website looks like too much candy without there being any candy.
Sorry, I don't believe you. The way that the initial post has identical paragraph lengths with headers on every one is extremely uncanny. The prose is very dry, repetitive, often written in passive voice, and completely lacking in personality.
I'm a software developer with ADHD who just launched adhdhelp.app — a web app offering immediate, evidence-backed strategies to cope with common ADHD modes (overwhelm, anxiety, task block, etc.). Most of the core features are ad-free and account-free; a $5/month opt-in lets you access more exercises and sounds.
When I shared the project here about two days ago, the discussion was centered on two grievances:
Pricing. Some thought any paywall was unfair, even at €5. In this niche I've not found anything cheaper, but I invite suggestions on how to structure freemium without losing users.
AI artwork. Blog posts and in-app graphics use AI-created artwork (cleared with each author). Commenters have argued I should be using human artists instead, and a few assumed the coping skills were AI-generated as well (they're not — they're compiled from CBT/DBT papers and linked on the site).
My questions to the community:
Is AI artwork a deal-breaker for you in a product like this?
Does it affect your belief in the underlying material or morals of the project?
For solo developers on budgets that are limited, what choices strike a good balance between aesthetics, cost, and principle?
Thanks for your thoughts — they will have a direct influence on how I go on to further develop the app.