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[Self-Promotion] I got tired of productivity apps stressing me out, so I built a calmer timer
▲ 1 r/Appstore

[Self-Promotion] I got tired of productivity apps stressing me out, so I built a calmer timer

Hey r/Appstore — I built a focus timer called PTimer after bouncing between productivity apps that somehow made me feel less focused over time.
A lot of timer apps felt overloaded with:
stats
pressure
complicated systems
or constant reminders that I wasn’t “productive enough”
So I wanted to experiment with something calmer and more customizable instead.
PTimer focuses more on:
customizable focus/break timing
custom sounds
different fonts/themes depending on mood
and reducing mental friction during focus sessions
Ironically, the more features I removed, the more consistently I actually used it myself.
Would genuinely love feedback on:
whether the concept resonates
whether the App Store page feels clear
or anything that feels mentally distracting while using it

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ptimer-%E3%82%AB%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%A0%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A6%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%81%A7%E9%9B%86%E4%B8%AD%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%83%9D%E3%83%A2%E3%83%89%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AD%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A4%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC/id6762259538

u/AkkyApps — 13 hours ago
▲ 5 r/edtech

Building Japanese-style handwriting math apps changed how I think about learning UX

Building Japanese-style handwriting math apps changed how I think about learning UX
A lot of my elementary math apps are influenced by how long multiplication and long division are commonly taught in Japanese schools.
There’s a surprisingly strong emphasis on:
organizing thinking sequentially on the page
showing intermediate steps clearly
and physically structuring calculations through handwriting
At first I treated handwriting mostly as “input.”
But after watching children use the apps, I started realizing the writing itself was often part of how they organized thought.
The interesting challenge was that handwriting could both:
support thinking
and
accidentally hide actual math understanding
For example, some children clearly understood the math pattern mentally, but struggled with:
spacing
writing fatigue
keeping track of rows
or handwriting recognition mistakes
That completely changed how I approached educational UX.
I became much more focused on:
reducing cognitive overload
protecting confidence
making mistakes feel recoverable
and ensuring the app supports the skill instead of becoming the skill itself

reddit.com
u/AkkyApps — 1 day ago
▲ 7 r/edtech

I’m starting to think pacing is a learnable skill

One thing I’ve started wondering is whether teleprompter-style pacing tools could actually be useful for reading practice too.

Not just for “content creators,” but for helping people:
- maintain speaking rhythm
- pace themselves while reading aloud
- recover smoothly when they lose their place
- reduce the mental load of simultaneously reading and speaking

The more I work on these tools, the more it feels like pacing itself is a learnable skill.

reddit.com
u/AkkyApps — 4 days ago
▲ 25 r/edtech

I realized “fake success” is dangerous in educational apps for kids

I’ve been building an iPad-only long division practice app for elementary school kids, and watching children actually use it changed how I think about educational software.

One thing that surprised me was how harmful “fake success” can be.

For example, if handwriting recognition confidently confirms the wrong answer, some children will trust the app more than themselves.

That creates a really uncomfortable situation:
the child feels confused, but assumes the software must be correct.

I started noticing that small UX decisions mattered a lot:
- whether the app asks for confirmation gently
- how much information is on screen
- whether mistakes feel recoverable
- how much cognitive load the interface creates

Ironically, reducing frustration and uncertainty often seemed more important than making the app feel “smart.”

Watching kids interact with educational apps made me rethink UX design in general.

u/AkkyApps — 6 days ago
▲ 1 r/pomodoro

I got tired of productivity apps stressing me out

I kept bouncing between Pomodoro apps because a lot of them felt weirdly stressful.

Too many graphs.
Too many stats.
Too many things competing for attention.

So I ended up building a timer focused more on atmosphere and mental friction:
- customizable focus/break timing
- custom sounds
- fonts/themes depending on mood

Ironically, the more features I removed, the more I actually used it daily.

u/AkkyApps — 6 days ago
▲ 0 r/appledevelopers

I got tired of adjusting teleprompter speed manually

I’m an indie iOS developer, and I made a teleprompter app mostly because I was frustrated with constantly adjusting scroll speed manually.

The app can automatically match scroll speed to your script length and target speaking time, and it can also follow your voice while reading.

Honestly, I built it for myself first — but it turned out surprisingly useful.

Would love honest feedback from people who record videos alone.

reddit.com
u/AkkyApps — 7 days ago