When you forget how to use AppStore because when you need an app, you make it
Role: AI-native design & production
First iPhone app shipped end-to-end — by me, a designer, not an engineer
A team of 1 producing like a team of 5
Personal version of Google Maps, when the core team doesn’t deliver the simple feature I need.
What it is
I don't just use AI to make pretty pictures — I use it to build real, working products. As a designer, not an engineer.
Project 1 — PhotoClean (a photo-cleanup app).
I wanted to actually learn how to build for iPhone, hands-on. So I deliberately picked a first project with none of the scary grown-up parts — no personal data, no logins, no authentication — just a clean, self-contained tool I could ship. I built it and put it on TestFlight using AI coding tools (Claude Code → Xcode → TestFlight).
Project 2 — my own version of Google Maps.
I'm a heavy Maps user, and it made my blood boil that I couldn't see which places from my saved lists are actually open right now. So I built my own version that does exactly that — the thing I wished existed.
Why it matters
I learn fast, I ship, and I build to solve a real problem — whether it's mine or a brand's. For a lean team that's the whole game: I set the taste and the system, AI handles the volume, the output stays on-brand — a crew of a few ships like a crew of many. Everyday tools: Claude Cowork, Claude Code, Gemini.