Open Hours: An Exercise in Building and Learning Quickly

Rohan Pavuluri and I created Open Hours, an iOS app designed to make phone calls more spontaneous and frequent by letting users notify friends when they’re available to chat in real-time.

The Journey

November 16 — Private Beta Launch

The initial TestFlight version had significant bugs preventing smooth contact syncing and account creation, though the core notification feature functioned well enough to validate the concept.

November 24 — Public Beta

After six iterations, we released publicly via Instagram Stories, attracting only 22 new users despite positive engagement. Critical issues emerged: custom invitation links malfunctioned, and contact synchronization took approximately 30 seconds—too long to retain user interest.

December 11 — Public Launch

Inspired by Clubhouse’s onboarding design, we improved several aspects: contact syncing reduced to 6 seconds, streamlined network-building during onboarding, and added downtime reminders. We launched across HackerNews, ProductHunt, and LinkedIn with minimal traction.

December 13 — Strategic Pivot

Despite strong personal use between founders, the broader user network rarely engaged. This revealed fundamental problems with our approach.

Key Learnings

1. Network density is essential — Users needed existing friends already on the platform; the app couldn’t generate sufficient organic adoption.

2. Single-player engagement required — Successful social apps need instant gratification independent of other users’ participation.

3. Existing communication sufficient — Phone calls and texts adequately met user needs without a dedicated platform.

4. Singular focus necessary — Building for multiple use cases simultaneously hindered learning and iteration.

Future Direction

We’re planning to explore one-on-one matching within communities like workplaces, social groups, and elderly companionship programs rather than peer-to-peer calling.