Case study · Independent app
Backward: The Nostalgic Time Capsule
I conceived, designed, built, tested, and distributed Backward and also run customer support, all solo.
- I built it
- I designed it
- I wrote it
- I launched it
The short versionBuilt, branded, and launched all on my own. Available free on the App Store.
The decision
The idea for Backward started with a question I kept trying to solve: find an app that brought together an easy daily journal, your photos, and your music library and then every day show you what you did, what you wrote, and what music came out on this day over the years. All the available options were less than appealing visually and lacked all my required features, so I decided to just make the app I always wanted.
My contribution
I designed, built, tested, and launched Backward all by myself. This included getting a developer account created, dealing with App Store Connect (IYKYK), customer support, and everything in-between. I decided to position the app as a daily time capsule, decided its voice and identity (warm and nostalgic), and optimized for the App Store search. It taught me a lot and in the end, I got the app I’ve always wanted.
What changed
Backward is live on the Apple App Store and is free with no in-app purchases, ads, subscriptions, or anything creepy. It’s the clearest example of how I work: understanding the product down to the code, then in the mess, make sense of why people should care and say it plainly.
The work.
Enough reading
Go see Backward for yourself.
It’s free on the App Store. The site has the rest: how it works, the FAQ, and support.