makeART

Role
Tech lead, freelance iOS developer, UX designer

Timeline
July 2019 - Present

Skills
Swift, iOS development, Xcode, Git, Sketch, UI/UX design, team leadership

As the only freelance iOS developer on makeART, a generative art and camera app, I created the initial MVP and have overseen its development for the past two years. I’ve assisted with hiring and managing other developers along with refactoring a continually growing codebase.

Code

From the start of our development process, my client and I have used a rapid iteration approach to release new versions on the App Store. This includes sending him builds to test 3-5 times a week in order to get immediate feedback. We run on a 3-4 version per month release cycle which is usually broken up into 1 maintenance build and 3 feature builds.

We use many Swift frameworks including Vision and AVFoundation to achieve a combination of creation and generative art within our app.

Storytelling

We’ve come a long way since our initial release on the App Store in 2019. Thousands of users, weekly user research trips, and constant experimentation has allowed us to push the boundaries of what we can do with our phone’s camera.

The app combines generative art with the depth seeing capabilities of an iPhone, which allows users to add effects to photos and express themseleves at a new level.

Artist collabs also tell emerging and established artists’ stories and connect their style to a new audience.

Design

I intentionally made makeART utilize the native camera technology in order to integrate filters and generative art in a familiar interface. By combining natural tap, swipe, and hold gestures with new ways to generate art, users can find new ways to make art.

I value simplicity in design and use icon menus to not obstruct the main user experience and visual aspect of the app.