Hikikomori Sprint #3: A Study of Epic Scale?

The next phase of DenseWiki is on.

After the last sprint, I took quite a few days off and allowed myself to “wander.”

The next step after developing the product is to get as many scholars as possible using this powerful tool.

How do you make that happen?

1. Spreading the word of its existence to as many people as possible.
2. Making the product more appealing to try.

I’ve found a strategy to do both of these simultaneously: we’re going to run a historic scientific study to prove that our technology and approach delivers on its promise.

The goal of this sprint is to prepare all the assets needed to kick off this study by August 27.

Namely:

1. Shipping some UI tweaks / bugfixes
2. A write-up on the website that explains what the study is about
3. A job post for volunteers
4. A draft onboarding process for scholars interested in participating in the study
5. Short blurbs that can be shared on social media / Slack / Discord groups to recruit participants, or to simply spread the word to potential scholars
6. An email template for reaching out to professors whose students could benefit from joining

September 3, 2025

Okay so the above plan did not play out at all the way I initially wanted it to.

I allowed myself to completely lose momentum.

I’ve had misgivings about the product recently. I feel like it is missing some things that would actually lead to a “wow” user experience.

I don’t believe the product is ready yet for mass marketing — maybe it’s ready for a private beta, but no more.

1. Email reports that show your streak / stats
2. Weekly streak on the dashboard
3. Me using the product myself and adding whatever features need to be added

I also just saw Duolingo’s old sites, and realize that I can do better — keep all the core information on one page, make it clear that it’s a beta, and post in a few places.

That’s what I will do now:

1. Update the landing page, so that everyone can get all the information on a single page.
2. Add an about page, where I will show the old copy, plus investors / team info.
3. Figure out how to implement email notifications.