For Glovee, we needed a form builder tailored for immigration consultants—something capable of handling hundreds of questions, organizing client data, and managing documents. When nothing out there fit the bill, I decided to build it myself.
We spent months on UX research and competitive analysis, ensuring the forms would work seamlessly for consultants and their clients. It wasn't easy, but by the time the template builder and form tool were nearly finished, I knew we had created something powerful.
Then Notion released their form builder.
My first reaction? Frustration. Their tool was polished, smooth, and eerily similar in functionality to what I'd built—the same settings, question types, and even the same overall feel. Their execution was undeniably impressive. Seeing their sleek UX compared to my scrappy, self-built tool was humbling. I couldn't help but wish I'd had more time to blend their level of smoothness into our functionality.
But here's the difference: Notion's form builder wasn't built for what Glovee needs. It can't handle hundreds of questions, detailed categorizations, or the custom behaviors essential to our use case. It's a different product for a different audience.
In the end, I'm more proud than anything. Notion Forms was created by a team with massive resources, while I'm just one developer working to make things happen. Yet, I built something functionally comparable, tailored for a highly specific need. That realization has given me a real confidence boost—especially as I prepare for my next full-time dev role.
So, thanks, Notion, for the unexpected mix of envy, motivation, and validation.
For Glovee, we needed a form builder tailored for immigration consultants—something capable of handling hundreds of questions, organizing client data, and managing documents. When nothing out there fit the bill, my friend Damon and I decided to build it ourselves. Damon, as the UX designer, focused on crafting an intuitive experience, while I handled the development.
We spent months on UX research and competitive analysis, ensuring the forms would work seamlessly for consultants and their clients. It wasn't easy, but by the time the template builder and form tool were nearly finished, we knew we had created something powerful.
Then Notion released their form builder.
My first reaction? Frustration. Their tool was polished, smooth, and eerily similar in functionality to what we'd built—the same settings, question types, and even the same overall feel. Their execution was undeniably impressive. Seeing their sleek UX compared to our scrappy, self-built tool was humbling. I couldn't help but wish we'd had more time to blend their level of smoothness into our functionality.
But here's the difference: Notion's form builder wasn't built for what Glovee needs. It can't handle hundreds of questions, detailed categorizations, or the custom behaviors essential to our use case. It's a different product for a different audience.
In the end, we're more proud than anything. Notion Forms was created by a team with massive resources, while Damon and I were just two people working to make things happen. Yet, we built something functionally comparable, tailored for a highly specific need. That realization has given us a real confidence boost.
So, thanks, Notion, for the unexpected mix of envy, motivation, and validation.
PS: Also thanks to Hannah for implementing the rest of the Glovee CRM.