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.