Build series · In progress

Building RepGarden.

Watch a web and mobile app being built for Benji, a personal trainer, decision by decision, from agreeing the features to launching it on the web and both app stores.

I’m writing up each piece of work as it happens.

Start with the introduction

Follow the build.

RepGarden isn’t finished. New entries appear as the work happens.

  1. IntroductionWhat we’re buildingMeet Benji and the app we’re building for him and other personal trainers.
  2. DiscoveryDiscoveryWhy the build starts with two calls and not a prompt: the four parts of a good app, and what AI cannot know about Benji’s clients.
  3. ResearchResearchFourteen apps trainers already use with their clients, and what they have in common: the features, the marketing, the pricing and the thin game layer.
  4. Game designGame designOne theme, two places the app gets used, and three things that make rewards mean something. The name RepGarden, and a carrot.
  5. Game mechanicsGame mechanicsAn old woman who falls ill every Monday, a farm that grows vegetables from logged sets, a week you can share, and the money left undecided on purpose.
  6. Coming nextMock-ups and user journeysRough mock-ups of the client’s screens and the paths through them, drawn before anything is built. This entry will appear here once there’s something useful to show.

The code is public too: view the repository on GitHub.

What you’ll see along the way.

  1. 01

    Getting to know Benji’s clients

    Who his clients are, what they need from an app and what they use today, before any feature is chosen.

  2. 02

    Agreeing the features

    Which features the app launches with and which wait, each written as a clear specification and tested as it’s built.

  3. 03

    Choosing the look

    Benji’s branding turned into a design system, and every screen laid out to get his clients booking.

  4. 04

    Building the app

    Bookings and payments, accounts and client data, built securely and checked on a test version before his clients use it.

  5. 05

    Getting found and launching

    SEO for the trainers’ website, store listings for the client app, and the launch on the web, the App Store and Google Play, with analytics from day one.

  6. 06

    Keeping Benji informed

    The project board, preview links to try, and short recorded walkthroughs when a decision needs explaining.

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