Goals
This is the third attempt at creating a photo archive app. The first try was in 2014, which never resulted in a real product. The second try was in 2023, when I created a React Native app that does successfully present the photo archive. However the use of React Native (which is very different from React) and the headaches involved in dealing with the app store let me to abandon this effort too.
For this third try, I am following the “web app” paradigm of creating a single-page React application which runs in the browser, but can be packaged to be installed like a native app on a phone.
This time around, I am envisioning to include in the effort a modernization of the entire photo archive, the database and the structure. Possibly the photo app itself can become the main interface to the photo archive, replacing the Perl-based interface dating back from 2006.
Use Cases
The photo app is for me, Eric Grivel, to interact with my photo archive, which is in a lot of ways a representation or reflection of my life.
The photo app is for my friends and families to see photos, photo sets, and photo albums that I send them.
Plan
What is the plan to modernize the photo archive and build a great photo “app” to use on phones?
The first part is for me to document all the ideas swirling around in my head. That is what I’m doing here. From this should come an idea of what the end result is going to be.
Then I need to take all the ideas and come up with an overall design for the app, with an appropriate level of detail where needed. At least include all the major features I want the app to have, and some idea of how they all connect together.
Then I start building the implementation step by step. I will want to write down a list of features and inter-dependencies, and come up with a reasonable order to work on this. The backlog will document all of this.
Documenting the Ideas
I need to go back to the design documents of the previous photo app, any feature requests that may be unfinished, and the documentation of the photo archive as a whole. I will also want to look at apps like Google Photos, Instagram, and others. Actually use them for a while and see what works and what doesn’t.