Handicraft

Overview

After my wife and I bought our first house over five years ago, I became deeply involved in various DIY projects around our home. While not all of them were successful, each one taught me valuable lessons about working outside the digital world.

Seeing how much of my time and energy was spent organizing these projects, I realized there was a need for a tool that could help hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts like me manage their creative endeavors more effectively.

That's why I decided to create Handicraft — a web app designed to help DIYers plan, track, and share their projects in an organized and visually engaging way.

The Problem

Existing project management tools were either too complex or too generic for casual DIYers. The average DIYer doesn't need a heavy-duty, business-oriented tool like Trello or Asana; they just need something simple, visual, and tailored to their creative process.

Many hobbyists juggle multiple projects at once — home renovations, woodworking, crafting, and more — but rely on a mishmash of notebooks, camera rolls, and mental checklists to keep track of everything. This results in:

• Disorganization: Important steps or ideas get lost, especially on long-term projects.
• Lack of visual structure: DIY projects often require more than just written instructions — they need images, sketches, and visual cues.
• No motivation loop: Without a clear, visual sense of progress, people are more likely to abandon projects halfway through.
• Sharing limitations: DIYers often want to share their work with others, but traditional tools aren't built to foster community or feedback.

The Solution

I built Handicraft to address these gaps. By using a simple, visual approach to project management, Handicraft enables users to break down their DIY projects into manageable steps, attach images and notes, and track progress with ease. The app empowers hobbyists to stay organized, motivated, and connected.

The Technology

To build Handicraft, I relied on a modern and efficient tech stack that would offer both scalability and an intuitive user experience:

• Backend: I chose Laravel for its robustness and ease of use. Laravel's built-in features, like authentication and data validation, saved me a lot of development time. It also provided a secure and flexible foundation for building the app’s API and managing user data.

• Frontend: For the frontend, I used Vue.js and Inertia.js. Vue.js gave me the flexibility to build a dynamic, interactive user interface, while Inertia.js allowed me to create a smooth, single-page application experience without the complexity of a full-fledged frontend framework. This setup ensured that users could interact with the app seamlessly, with minimal page reloads and quick real-time updates.

• Styling: To ensure the app was both responsive and visually appealing, I used Tailwind CSS. Tailwind's utility-first approach helped me quickly create a clean, consistent design that was easy to maintain and adapt as the app evolved. Tailwind also allowed me to focus on the UI without worrying about custom CSS.

The Result

Early feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly around how Handicraft helps with project completion and organization. Key results include:

• Improved project completion rates: The step-by-step breakdown and visual progress tracking has helped users stay motivated and finish more projects.
• Stronger sense of organization: The ability to attach images, notes, and statuses to individual steps has made it easier for users to keep track of multi-phase projects.
• Increased shareability: Users love the option to share polished project outlines with friends, family, or online communities, fostering engagement and feedback.
• Low learning curve: New users have been able to get started without needing tutorials, thanks to the intuitive design.

Built with Laravel for scalability, Vue.js and Inertia.js for dynamic interactivity, and Tailwind CSS for responsive design, Handicraft is already evolving with features like AI-driven step generation, which is currently in development.

The app’s success so far proves that even casual creators benefit from thoughtful tools that support their specific workflows.