Why Building WordFloor, a Private Writing App, Takes So Long
WordFloor is being built as a private daily writing space where effort can outlive content. The writing loop works; saving, sync, export, and deletion still need to earn trust.
Software builder since 1984
My work spans software engineering, product development, eCommerce leadership and company building. I continue to code, test emerging technologies, write about what I learn and build independent software products.
I currently lead eCommerce product work for a major UK retailer, while continuing to code, write and build independent software. This is my personal site.
Current questions I am working through directly — by building, writing and experimenting.
How far can AI-driven agentic workflows take software delivery before human intervention is required?
Building autonomous coding agents, evaluating model capabilities and designing human-in-the-loop systems that scale delivery without sacrificing quality.
Agentic coding is reshaping how software is built. Understanding where autonomy works and where it breaks is essential to leading engineering teams through this transition.
Can a deliberately small, focused product earn attention in a market dominated by feature-rich platforms?
Designing and building WordFloor — a constrained writing tool — as an exercise in product discipline, focused scope and sustainable independent software.
WordFloor tests whether a single-person product can compete through craft, focus and a clear point of view rather than feature volume.
How can AI improve product discovery in ecommerce beyond traditional search and faceted navigation?
Exploring semantic search, personalisation and LLM-driven product discovery within the constraints of real ecommerce catalogues and retail operations.
Ecommerce search is a high-impact applied-AI domain where small improvements in discovery quality directly affect revenue, conversion and customer satisfaction.
Independent software I am building and testing in public.
Specific artefacts and outcomes are a better measure of the work than a list of capabilities.
A current technical record of using agentic coding against a long-running writing product, with the limits and review work left visible.
Read the build note →An independent writing habit product built around a daily word floor, a durable practice record and control over the words themselves.
Explore the product →A professional outcome page about connecting search quality, product discovery and the customer journey, with contribution boundaries stated.
Read the outcome →Three existing outcome pages showing technical contribution, commerce delivery and leadership range.
Technical and product work
Technical and product decisions connecting search quality with product discovery and the customer journey.
Commerce delivery
Hands-on technical and product decisions during a move towards a cloud-native commerce platform.
Leadership and delivery
A leadership outcome focused on changing delivery practice and collaboration without claiming ownership of every team result.
WordFloor is being built as a private daily writing space where effort can outlive content. The writing loop works; saving, sync, export, and deletion still need to earn trust.
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Browse independent products I am developing, or read about what I am learning and building in public.
Software builder.