I couldn’t help but laugh when you mentioned the cringe moment of requiring sign-in before use. I wrestled with the same decision this week for my side project. Part of me wanted users to jump straight in, but I also worried about spiralling infra costs. One of the AI models I’m using for image analysis and character-consistent storybook generation kept exceeding limits, and I’d already stacked up multiple provider subscriptions.
After more testing, I have a clearer view of usage patterns and costs, but it left me with two tensions I think every PM building 0→1 AI products runs into:
System design trade-offs: how to protect resources and scale efficiently without breaking the magic of the first user experience.
Pricing clarity as product experience: how to make variable, usage-based AI costs feel simple and trustworthy to users.
I’ve decided to remove OAuth altogether in my next release. The fact that I was agonizing over the choice was a clear signal that letting people try it right away delivers a better experience.
I couldn’t help but laugh when you mentioned the cringe moment of requiring sign-in before use. I wrestled with the same decision this week for my side project. Part of me wanted users to jump straight in, but I also worried about spiralling infra costs. One of the AI models I’m using for image analysis and character-consistent storybook generation kept exceeding limits, and I’d already stacked up multiple provider subscriptions.
After more testing, I have a clearer view of usage patterns and costs, but it left me with two tensions I think every PM building 0→1 AI products runs into:
System design trade-offs: how to protect resources and scale efficiently without breaking the magic of the first user experience.
Pricing clarity as product experience: how to make variable, usage-based AI costs feel simple and trustworthy to users.
I’ve decided to remove OAuth altogether in my next release. The fact that I was agonizing over the choice was a clear signal that letting people try it right away delivers a better experience.
Can’t wait for Opal to be launched in Australia!