Blog - Smin Rana

Stop Over-Engineering: A Minimal Architecture Pattern for Solo Devs
If you’re building apps alone, architecture can feel like a trap. On one side: the wild west. Everything talks to everything, your UI calls the API directly, business rules end up copy/pasted, and a “quick fix” turns into a permanent mess. On the other side:… Read more: Stop Over-Engineering: A Minimal Architecture Pattern for Solo Devs
Crash‑Free at Scale: Symbolication, DWARF, and Real‑Time Triage with Metrics
Delivering a crash‑free experience across thousands or millions of devices requires more than plugging in a crash SDK. You need accurate symbolication, stable build artifacts, and real‑time metrics that highlight regressions before reviews or social media do. This guide walks through a practical, founder‑grade setup:… Read more: Crash‑Free at Scale: Symbolication, DWARF, and Real‑Time Triage with Metrics
Swift 6 Deep Dive: Concurrency, Ownership, and Performance in Real Apps
Table of Contents Objective and Success Metrics Build faster, safer, more reliable iOS/macOS apps using Swift 6’s concurrency and ownership model. The Swift 6 Landscape Swift 6 strengthens structured concurrency and compiler diagnostics: Structured Concurrency: async/await, Task, TaskGroup Use async/await for straightforward flows; TaskGroup for… Read more: Swift 6 Deep Dive: Concurrency, Ownership, and Performance in Real Apps
Building AI‑Native iOS Features: On‑device LLMs with Core ML and MLX
Ship a semantic search feature that feels instant, works offline, preserves privacy, and raises engagement — built natively on iOS with Core ML and MLX. Success looks like faster findability, longer sessions, and users trusting the app with their notes, docs, or content. What Success… Read more: Building AI‑Native iOS Features: On‑device LLMs with Core ML and MLX
Case Study 5: Dev Tool MVP
I built a CLI tool intended to standardize local development setup across microservices. The promise: one command—dev bootstrap—that discovers services, generates .env files, and starts containers via Docker Compose. In demos, it was magical. In real teams, it broke in 40% of setups due to… Read more: Case Study 5: Dev Tool MVP
Case Study 4: Consumer Health MVP
The product was a habit-building app focused on sleep: wind-down routines, gentle alarms, and a simple educational library. The launch was exciting—we onboarded ~500 users via two TikTok creators. Engagement was strong in the first week thanks to streaks and badges. But adherence to core… Read more: Case Study 4: Consumer Health MVP
Case Study 3: B2B Analytics MVP
The goal was clear: build a dashboard that helps mid-size e-commerce operations teams make better decisions. I connected to Shopify and GA4, assembled cohort retention charts, SKU performance views, and canned insights like “top movers” and “at-risk SKUs”. Pilots at three brands praised the look… Read more: Case Study 3: B2B Analytics MVP
Case Study 2: Marketplace MVP
I built an MVP for a niche two-sided marketplace: connecting technical blog owners with specialist copy editors who understand developer audiences. The concept felt obvious—blogs need consistent, high-quality editing; editors want steady work. I avoided heavy search and built a curated matching process using a… Read more: Case Study 2: Marketplace MVP
Case Study 1: Productivity App MVP
I set out to build a minimalist task manager for indie freelancers and solo creators—people who value speed and focus, and who often bounce between deep work and chaotic client requests. My hypothesis was simple: if I can reduce friction in task capture and weekly… Read more: Case Study 1: Productivity App MVP
Why Power Users Pay (and Casual Users Don’t)
Most apps chase features. The users who pay aren’t buying primitives; they’re buying outcomes at intensity. Power users hit a repeatable moment every day (or multiple times a day) and the product removes, compresses, and automates that moment. Casual users never reach that cadence. It… Read more: Why Power Users Pay (and Casual Users Don’t)
Why Most Productivity Apps Feel The Same
Most productivity apps ship the same surface: lists, boards, tags, calendar, “AI assist,” and an inbox that slowly turns into a museum of intent. Different logos, same experience. It isn’t a taste problem. It’s the incentives and defaults you’re building under. When teams optimize for… Read more: Why Most Productivity Apps Feel The Same
What Makes An App Review Trustworthy In 2026
With AI‑generated text everywhere, the only reviews that matter are the ones that help you predict outcomes. Trustworthy reviews are specific, reproducible, and honest about trade‑offs. Here’s how to evaluate them—and write them. Trust Signals (look for these) Intent and audience: states the job‑to‑be‑done and… Read more: What Makes An App Review Trustworthy In 2026
The Real Difference Between Indie And VC Apps
It isn’t “big vs small.” It’s “which game are you playing?” Indie and VC apps operate under different goals and constraints. When you internalize those differences, your roadmap, distribution, and daily work stop fighting each other. The Operating Assumptions (and why they matter) Goal Indie:… Read more: The Real Difference Between Indie And VC Apps
Why App Store Discovery Is Broken
If the App Store were a library, the shelves would be rearranged every hour, the index would hide the best books behind vague keywords, and the staff would only recommend titles from last week’s display. It works for trending hits. It fails quiet, useful tools—the… Read more: Why App Store Discovery Is Broken
How Indie Devs Should Approach Bloggers
Bloggers don’t owe you coverage. They owe their readers value. Your job isn’t to persuade—it’s to package a story their audience will thank them for. That mindset shift turns outreach from a cold ask into a collaboration. This guide shows you how to become a… Read more: How Indie Devs Should Approach Bloggers