The Age of Personalized Software From Using Software to Creating Your Own
I started my career as a software engineer in 2006.
Since then, I have spent most of my time building software and thinking about one question:
How can software better serve people?
Over the past 20 years, I have experienced many changes in software.
We moved from desktop applications to web applications, from local software to cloud services, and now we are entering the era of AI.
But one thing has remained unchanged:
People are different.
Software is powerful, but every person works differently
Modern software can solve many problems.
There are excellent tools for business, education, communication, and personal life.
However, when people use software every day, they often find small gaps.
A workflow is not exactly right.
A field is missing.
A report does not show the information they really care about.
A process does not match the way they work.
These are usually not big problems.
But they are important problems for the person who has them.
In my experience building software systems for companies, I found that many users do not need a bigger system.
They need a system that fits their own way of working.
The old way of changing software
Traditionally, software was created by professional developers.
Users could give feedback, but changing software was difficult.
If a feature was missing, users had to wait for the next version.
If a workflow was not suitable, users had to adapt themselves.
This was not because software companies did not care.
It was because software development was expensive.
A company had to decide which needs were valuable enough to build.
Millions of small personal needs were difficult to solve.
AI changes the relationship between people and software
The development of AI coding tools changed my thinking.
For the first time, many people who are not professional programmers can create and modify software with the help of AI.
They can describe their ideas:
“Add a field here.”
“Change this workflow.”
“Create a tool for my own needs.”
“Modify this game for my family.”
AI can help turn these ideas into working software.
I do not think everyone needs to become a software engineer.
But I believe more people can become software creators.
From software users to software creators
This is why I believe we are entering the age of personalized software.
In the past, the relationship was simple:
Software companies created software.
Users used software.
In the future, the relationship may become:
Software provides a foundation.
Users continue improving it for themselves.
A photographer can create a customer management tool for photography.
A teacher can create a learning tool for students.
A small business owner can create a workflow that matches daily work.
A parent can create a small game based on their child's interests.
The software becomes closer to the person who uses it.
Why I created TopArrow
After many years of building software, I learned that starting from zero is usually not the best way to create software.
Good software needs a good foundation.
It needs:
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clear data structures;
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reliable functions;
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simple installation;
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safe modification;
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easy maintenance.
AI is powerful, but AI also needs good software foundations.
This is the reason I created TopArrow.
TopArrow is exploring a new way for people to use, change, and share software.
People can start with an existing application.
They can modify it with AI.
If their version becomes useful to others, they can share it.
Software can continue evolving through many people's ideas.
Software can grow
A software application should not only be a finished product.
It can also be a starting point.
A general application can become many different versions:
A customer management tool can become a version for photographers, consultants, or small shops.
A simple game can become a family version, an educational version, or something completely new.
Every person sees different possibilities.
Every person can add something valuable.
This is the idea behind TopArrow:
Software should not only be delivered to users.
Software should grow with users.
A new journey begins
TopArrow is still at an early stage.
We are exploring a new possibility for software.
We do not believe AI will replace all software developers.
Instead, we believe AI will allow more people to participate in software creation.
In the past, people learned how to use software.
In the future, more people may also learn how to create software that belongs to them.
This is the direction we want to explore.
Use It. Change It. Share It.
About the author
Jiang Ting is a software entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in software development. He founded TopArrow to explore personalized software in the AI era.