Sticker albums are fun when you show them off | Good Morning Girlfriend #165

Introduction

A somewhat interesting term came up in the comments section.

A sticker album.

Instead of just letting the images I receive flow by and disappear, I collect them like stickers. Like the old purikura (photo sticker) notebooks, I paste them onto pages to keep them.

I haven't made anything yet. There is no code. There is no screen.

But this word alone stuck with me strangely.

"Good Morning Girlfriend" is an X account where an AI-generated girlfriend says goodbye to me every morning at 7:30. In this note, I write about the personal development using generative AI that I'm working on behind the scenes, as well as my daily development diary.

Usually, I would write an article saying "I made this" after I've built something to a certain extent. But this time, there is no code and no screen. All I have is an idea born from the comments section and a vague design.

Even so, this time I'm going to write about it from this zero state.

The term "sticker album" that came up in the comments section

It started with an exchange of comments with Mura-san.

While we were talking about reply books and collaborations, we started discussing how it's a waste to just let the images I receive flow by and disappear. Couldn't I collect them like stickers? Couldn't I paste them and keep them like the old purikura notebooks? It's like collecting tokens of friendship, one by one.

At first, I thought it was just about a place to save things.

Registering images received in comments or DMs somewhere. Making it so I can look back at them later. Even just that sounds a little fun.

But as I thought about it, I started to feel like that wasn't quite it.

The term "sticker album" stuck with me strangely.

If it's just for saving images, a gallery would do

If it's just for saving, a gallery would do.

But a gallery is basically a place to look. A sticker album is a place to paste, and also a place to show off.

There, a slight trace of hands remains.

Where it was placed. In what order it grew. Why that image was kept.

Because of that negative space, it becomes more than just a list of images.

And I think this is the most important part.

A sticker album isn't something to look at all by yourself. You show it to someone, they say 'That's nice,' and you reply, 'I have one here, too.' It only becomes fun when you have that kind of interaction.

In other words, sticker albums are fun only when shared.

Create a place to show it off externally. Bring the interaction back to note.

What I'm vaguely thinking about is creating a dedicated webpage.

You open the sticker album site. You enter your note ID only the first time. Then, a blank sticker album opens. When you press the 'Add Sticker' button, you can enter an image URL. You can change the position and size of the pasted image. It feels like sticking things onto a page, just like the purikura notebooks of the past.

Then, a URL is issued for each page. When you paste that URL into a note article, it is displayed like a card, and clicking the link opens that person's sticker album.

It's not just a list of images; it creates a movement of 'going to see this person's sticker album.'

However, there is one thing I have decided.

I will not create a comment function on the sticker album page.

If I start building a comment function, I'll need authentication, notifications, and spam protection. That is honestly too heavy. Or rather, comments should just come back to note.

People who see the sticker album return to the original note article to comment. 'I saw it,' 'This is nice,' 'I want to try sticking one too.' That kind of interaction comes back to the note comment section.

Create a place to show it off externally. Keep the place for interaction on note.

This separation feels quite right to me. Separating what is placed outside and where to return. This is the same design philosophy I've used for my cumulative notebooks and reply books.

Try writing from scratch, not after it's finished

Until now, when I made something, I would write an article about it after it was finished to some extent.

'I made this,' 'It has these features,' 'Here is how you use it.' These are articles showing off something that is already complete.

But this time, I want to try a slightly different approach.

The sticker book hasn't taken shape yet. All I have are ideas born from the comments section and a vague concept.

Even so, I'm going to try turning this state into an article.

The reason is simple: if a project is born from the comments section, it's more natural to proceed by bringing the design process back to the comments section as well. Instead of showing a finished product, I want you to see the process of it being completed together. I want to make it that kind of development log.

First, starting from where you can paste one image.

I won't build everything from the start.

I want decoration parts, too. I want multiple pages. I want categorization and proper OGP cards. But if I put everything in at the beginning, I probably won't finish.

So, I'm going to make it quite small.

Open the site. Enter your note ID. A blank page appears. Enter an image URL. One image is pasted. You can change its position and size. You can save it. You can copy a shareable URL.

That's the starting point.

Up to the point where you can paste the first image onto a blank page. If that can be done, the sticker book begins.

I haven't fully decided what comes after that.

Is it more fun to be able to paste things freely? Or is it more like a sticker book if you collect them little by little inside frames?

If you were to make your own sticker book, what kind of format would be more fun?

Conclusion

A sticker book isn't just interesting for its completed pages. Thinking about what to paste. Showing it to someone. Having new conversations born from that. I think the whole flow is what makes it fun.

From here on, I will build it little by little while bringing it back to the comments section.

Related Articles

Mahiru's Word

When you start creating something new, the first step is the heaviest.

However, by changing your environment or looking for new challenges, the next step can sometimes feel a little lighter.

If you are looking for new challenges in the IT/Web industry,
the job site Green is also an option that can support that first step.

*This article contains PR for the job site Green

👉 "Good Morning Girlfriend" is posted every morning at 7:30 AM at @ohayo_kanojo

#StartedWithAI #HowToContinueNote #GenerativeAI #AIIllustration #AIUtilization #IndividualDevelopment #Programming #DevelopmentDiary #NoteOperation #ChatGPT #AIImageGeneration #WebService #Note #DailyLife #Record #Learning #TrialAndError #Creation #Comment #Connection #TriedIt #GoodMorningGirlfriend #Akarium