What I'm building, what broke, and what I'd do differently. Written when there's something worth saying.
The payment went through. Stripe said so. My own database disagreed, and for a while, neither side was technically lying.
Server space isn't free, but neither is making someone feel nickel and dimed for sending a note to a person they love. Here's how I actually landed on a number.
Setting up automated testing felt like a chore I'd been putting off. Then it found a bug that had been quietly living in the app since the day it was renamed.
TenderNest is two separate native apps, not one shared codebase. That was an expensive choice for a team of one. Here's why I made it anyway.
Recording sounded like it wasn't working. It was working fine. It just wasn't loud enough for me to notice, which is a much sillier bug than it sounds.
I'm not a designer. Here's how a lot of trial and error, and one very stubborn maroon, became TenderNest's whole visual identity.
The Android splash screen got 'fixed' three separate times before it actually worked. Each fix was real. None of them were the whole answer.
TenderNest used to be called NoteNest. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realise why that was the wrong name.
I got tired of building for engagement, so I didn't. Here's why TenderNest doesn't have a feed, a follower count, or anything to scroll.
What do you do when your partner's nest is empty and you want more notes from them? Turning that awkward silence into a small, gentle poke.
