Nadia (Developer) and I met at Pyn where we quickly realized we loved working on product together. While Nadia endured the grind of MBA studies, we decided to inject some fun into the mix. We dreamed up a business where we could continue to tinker and make things together, and where playfulness and design quality took center stage. We set up Shipmate Labs and even launched our first product: Buckets UI—a React component library built on Tailwind and Radix.
Nadia (Developer) and I met at Pyn where we quickly realized we loved working on product together. While Nadia endured the grind of MBA studies, we decided to inject some fun into the mix. We dreamed up a business where we could continue to tinker and make things together, and where playfulness and design quality took center stage. We set up Shipmate Labs and even launched our first product: Buckets UI—a React component library built on Tailwind and Radix.
MVP
React Component Library
The Opportunity
The problem we aimed to solve with our component library was something Nadia was experiencing as a front-end developer. Competitor libraries never quite met her needs, and she had a list of pain points she wanted to fix. She decided to write her MBA thesis on her plan to create a product that would solve these issues, and together we decided we should build it.
The Key Pain Points
There were a few features that stood out as differentiators when we compared Buckets UI to our competitors.
Themes: we wanted to create easily interchangeable themes that would work with all of the components we built
Modes: all components would not only work in all themes, but also in dark and light modes and across devices
Copying code & documentation: this varied in ways that were not straightforward. Ours would be clearcut and simplified
Select mode: this would be a new feature that would not only set us apart but position us to develop the product further into our vision of creating an Editor.
GOAL
The Editor
The Opportunity
The intention was to take the component library to the next level by creating a design tool wherein developers could drag and drop components into a canvas to build out patterns for their products and then copy the code.
Why this is needed. Having spoken to developers, the excitement around Buckets UI was less about building out more themes and more about “Select Mode” which would enable a developer with little access to design resources, and a need to iterate quickly, to use our components, adjust, and use them again. This would drastically decrease time spent on repetitive tasks and increase time spent iterating on potential solutions.
BUT…
A LI’L WRENCH
AI Competitors
We knew we were racing against AI competitors and planned to integrate the latest advancements as soon as we completed the core product. We tracked them all, with v0 being our biggest hurdle. But wow—AI tools absolutely exploded this year. It was like we were all in the same Mario Kart race and suddenly everyone else used their boosts at the same time.
We decided to stop swimming against the tide—just the two of us, bootstrapping, while competing with VC-backed startups that had millions in funding. We put the project on hold and made Buckets UI freely available for educational purposes while we reflect and explore new ideas. That being said, we are both keen to understand more about and build with AI.
AN AI EXPERIMENT
The Landing Page Roaster
We dabbled with a 2-week sprint where we built a “Roast My Landing Page” site (a common Reddit request). But as of now, AI is not there yet for our goals, and we were not comfortable releasing a product that hallucinates a lot of the time. It’s all a learning process and we’re not worried about it. We’ve got more ideas we’re cooking up in the lab, so stay tuned!
Key Takeaways
While we ended up building two and a half products; one that is free, and 1 1/2 that did not launch, we evaluate our efforts as a solid success. Here’s why:
We successfully launched Buckets UI to much praise.
Our process to build Buckets UI was solid. We created a roadmap, set up sprints, and every week that we met, we had both delivered.
We set up a business—a skill outside of our product wheelhouse and something that gives us a new understanding of having a “business lens”.
We did not let “failure” get us down. When we saw an obstacle we met it with “What if we do this?” and “What did we learn?”
True to our vision of running a lab, we’re constantly experimenting, fueled by a growing list of ideas and unwavering curiosity. Our goal is to create something people love—something that might even make the world a better place.