Independence

Every year at WWDC, Apple drops a bunch of new things for app developers to work on, and 2019 is no different… in fact, it may be the biggest year we’ve had for a while. Alice, Curtis and Jelly talk about what they tend to take from the developer conference each year, and how to approach integrating the new features into their various apps.

Positive comments sure do feel nice, but should we be doing more with them than just acknowledging their existence? Alice, Curtis and Jelly go over some instances where they’ve received praise for their respective apps, and consider the ways it’s helped them produce a better product.

When it comes to our businesses as indies, the weakest link in the chain is us. Alice, Curtis and Jelly look at each of their businesses to see what they’re already doing (and what they probably still need to do) to pass things on once they’re six feet under.

Often, it can be very tempting to come up with an idea, and just start building it right away. While this can feel like the right path, often it’s actually better in the long-term to spend time thinking about a feature, and figuring out what it is first. Alice, Curtis and Jelly discuss their approaches to planning features, what constraints they place on themselves, and the steps you should be taking before opening Xcode.

Independence is two years old, and our intrepid hosts once again answer questions fielded by listeners. Finally, answers to the important questions, such as their thoughts on growth hacking, tips for getting the most out of WWDC, and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Accessibility is something that is often overlooked in the tech industry, and the very scope of it can be daunting. Alice certainly feels like she’s dropped the ball on considering the accessibility needs of her users, so she enlists Curtis and Jelly and together they discuss their inspirations, how they approach accessibility in their apps, and where you can find resources on accessibility.

• Accessibility on iOS (Apple Developer)
• Accessibility (Apple Human Interface Guidelines)
• Accessible Podcast
• Digital Access Consulting – Vision Australia
• Austin Seraphin - Accessibility Consultant
• Improving Dynamic Type Support - PSPDFKIT
• Dynamic Type - Curtis Herbert

If you have a product that people love, it’s entirely possible that they want ways to show it off. In the lead up to WWDC, Jelly’s merch game is woefully inadequate. He enlists Alice and Curtis to discuss potential ideas for merchandising, and the things you might need to consider if you’re going to sell it online.

• Cotton Bureau
• Teespring
• Pin Game Strong
• Sticker Mule

When we start down the indie path, we usually have very purposeful ideas for the products we want to build, but many of us don’t think beyond the product onto the company. Alice, Curtis and Jelly give some thought to the visions they have for the future of their respective companies, and why that’s something worth thinking about in the present.

With her time as limited as it is, Alice has been thinking about what her exit from the indie life might look like, hypothetically speaking. Surprisingly, she’s not the only one thinking about it, so our three hosts delve right in to ask the important questions around what products should be when their creators leave them behind.

• Topical 79: The End
• Episode 34: Failure

Alice has started a new job, and Jelly is neck deep in a client contract, which leaves them very little time to get stuff done with their own projects. In an attempt to figure out the best way to achieve balance, our three hosts share their experiences, talk about possible ways of approaching things, and commiserate with each other’s struggles for time.