HourBlocks

HourBlocks is a native day planner for iOS and macOS, designed around visually blocking out your day hour by hour rather than a traditional list-based to-do app. Built entirely in SwiftUI, I worked alongside the app’s owner on its development, and it went on to be featured as Apple’s ‘App of the Day’ in over 150 countries, was named one of TechRadar’s best iPhone apps of 2020, and has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

Features

• Chronological “Hour Blocks” timeline showing the next 24 hours, keeping focus on what’s coming up next rather than a full cluttered calendar
• Sub-blocks for adding extra detail or steps within a single hour block
• iCloud sync across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, plus home screen widgets and Siri Shortcuts support
• To-Do List section alongside the hourly schedule, plus alternative app icons and full dark mode support

Challenges

• Working closely with the app’s owner to keep development moving quickly and sustain rapid iteration after gaining sudden visibility from App of the Day features
• Balancing a constant stream of feature requests (repeating blocks, reviewing past schedules, etc.) against keeping the core experience simple and fast

Learnings

• Learned how to design and ship a polished, native SwiftUI app across iOS and macOS from a single codebase
• Gained real experience with the demands of scale, going from a small userbase to over 100,000 downloads and adjusting based on live feedback and crash reports
• Developed strong instincts for triaging and prioritising user feedback
• Learned the value of collaborating closely with a product owner, balancing their vision for the app against technical constraints and user feedback
• Built confidence working with a still-maturing SwiftUI framework in its early versions