HomeHero - the app
HomeHero - the app
Introducing HomeHero
We just released the HomeHero app. It's a multi-platform app that helps you manage your household tasks, schedules, and documents.
Why HomeHero?
The app came from the frustration of having to do many things around the house and not being able to keep track of them. When you notice something that needs fixing or replacing, rarely you can do it right away. I'd add a note or a todo in my phone but these would get lost in the myriad of other notes and todos. Once I get to it, then there's a typical a few steps dance "what's needed", "do I have the tools" and "where did I put the manual".
In general, I much prefer to have a paper copy of the manual, warranty, and bill for every appliance and furniture in the house. But the problem with paper is that it's easy to lose, it's difficult to search through, and eventually it becomes unreadable. Even worse, you might need some information when you're not at home, and you don't have access to the paper copy.
Of course, these aren't new problems and people have been solving them in various ways. One app (or notepad) for notes. One app (or notepad) for todos and schedules. One app (or folder) for documents. But my philosophy on resolving problems have slightly shifted. I now prefer to have an app per the domain, rather per task. If I'm in a mode of fixing things around the house, I don't need/want to be reminded that I need to buy milk or look at the birthday calendar.
What can you do now?
At the moment, the app has limited functionality. Most of the time was spent on making sure that it works on multiple platform (the main goal), and making sure that it works.
Main functions:
- Create hierarchical locations (e.g. house, garage, garden)
- Create items with descriptions
- Create tasks with descriptions
- Allows uploading images and files, and attaching them to any resource
- Tagging resources (locations, items, tasks)
- Searching resources by name, description, tags
What's next?
The app is far from perfect and far from complete. We understand that some tasks might be easier to accomplish differently than through the app. But, we use this app, and it's in our best interest to make it as useful as possible.
The next steps are:
- Image recognition for items
- Adding general tasks
- Documents preview in the app
- Custom item type, provide own fields
Eventual features? For one, I would like all apps to work offline, so this should come at some point in the future.
Where is the app?
The app is available on the web, Android, Linux, MacOs and Windows. Below links to download pages.
Is the app free?
At the moment, yes. But, I'd like this app to be more than just a hobby project. There's plenty to do in this domain and if the development is a few hours a week, that's going to take a long time. How much would that cost? Unlikely much and potentially those who get in when app is free might get a very good deal.
How can you help?
The app is in the early stages and we're looking for feedback. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or found a bug, please let us know.