I'd hope the first thing they noticed was how much thought had gone into the little details. Not necessarily the big features or anything particularly groundbreaking, but the way things feel. The colours, the animations, the tiny interactions and those little moments of personality that might make someone smile. I want people to feel like they're using something that was made by someone who genuinely cares about their experience, rather than something designed purely to solve a problem or make money. I think we're surrounded by so much technology that's constantly demanding our attention, pushing us to be more productive or encouraging us to do more. I want my projects to feel like the opposite of that. If someone spent five minutes with something I've built and came away thinking, "That was actually really lovely to use," I'd consider that a pretty big win. Because sometimes making someone's day a tiny bit nicer is enough.

Before I started building my own apps, I was very much the person downloading different tools, trying them for a few days and then moving on to something else because they never quite felt right. I found that a lot of apps were either overly complicated for what I actually needed, locked the nicest features behind subscriptions, or just felt a bit clinical and impersonal. I work full-time outside of development, so my spare time is pretty precious. I wanted tools that made everyday life a little easier without making me feel like I had another list of things I needed to accomplish. Eventually, I started wondering why I couldn't just make the things I wished existed. That's really where TheCozyDev began. I wasn't setting out to build a business or become a founder. I just wanted to create software that worked the way I wanted it to, looked the way I imagined it and made everyday tasks feel a little less overwhelming. It turns out that once you start building solutions to your own little frustrations, you begin noticing opportunities to make things better everywhere. And that's probably why I now have far too many project ideas and nowhere near enough hours in the day!

I think the biggest thing I've learned is that people don't necessarily want more features, more productivity or more complicated technology. Quite often, they just want something that works, feels good to use and makes their day a little easier. As developers, I think it's incredibly easy to get caught up in what we can build rather than stopping to ask what people actually need. I've also learned that the smallest things can make the biggest difference. Something as simple as a comforting sound, a thoughtful animation or an interface that doesn't overwhelm someone can completely change how they feel about using a product. Another thing that's really stuck with me is how differently people experience technology. Something that feels completely obvious to me as the person building it might be confusing to someone using it for the first time. That's been a particularly valuable lesson, especially with Cozy Cafe. But perhaps the most important thing I've learned is that people genuinely appreciate feeling considered. They want to know there's a real person behind what they're using, someone who listens, takes feedback seriously and actually cares when something isn't working. That's shaped how I approach everything I build now. I'm learning that good software isn't just about solving a problem. It's about understanding the person experiencing it. And I think that's something I'll probably spend my entire development journey getting better at.

I think I'm slowly learning that progress isn't always measured by how much you've built, how many features you've added or how many hours you've spent staring at Xcode. I used to think moving in the right direction meant constantly doing more, but balancing development alongside a full-time job has taught me that being busy and making progress aren't necessarily the same thing. These days, I try to focus more on whether what I'm creating is genuinely useful, whether people enjoy using it and whether I'm still excited about the problem I'm trying to solve. Feedback plays a huge part in that, especially when someone uses something I've built in a way I hadn't anticipated. I'm also learning to recognise when something needs improving rather than immediately jumping into the next exciting idea, which is probably my biggest weakness as a builder! Ultimately, if I'm learning something, making someone's experience a little better and still finding joy in the process, I feel like I'm heading in the right direction.

I'm still learning how to slow down and recognise that I don't have to turn every spare moment into something productive. When you're passionate about building things, it's incredibly easy to convince yourself that every evening, weekend or quiet hour should be spent working on the next feature, fixing something or chasing another idea. I work a full-time job alongside TheCozyDev, and for a long time I treated my spare time as an opportunity to squeeze in as much development as physically possible. But I've started realising that just because I love what I'm doing doesn't mean I can't burn myself out doing it. I'm learning to set boundaries, celebrate the smaller wins and accept that not every idea needs to become a project tomorrow. I'm also learning that stepping away from the screen isn't wasted time. Sometimes it's exactly what you need to come back with a clearer head and a better perspective. I'm definitely not there yet, and anyone who knows me would probably laugh at the idea of me slowing down, but I'm trying. I want to build things I love for years to come, and that means learning how to enjoy the journey rather than constantly racing towards whatever comes next.

One of the simplest things that's made building more enjoyable for me is learning to appreciate the little moments rather than constantly focusing on what's left to do. I used to finish a feature and immediately move on to the next thing without really acknowledging what I'd achieved. Now I try to take a moment to actually enjoy what I've created, whether that's playing around with a new animation, listening to the soundscapes I've been making for Wumbl or just sitting back and realising that something which only existed in my imagination a few days ago is now something I can interact with. I've also started sharing more of the messy, imperfect side of building on X, and that's made a huge difference. Having people to celebrate the little wins with, laugh about the inevitable disasters and offer their own experiences makes what can be quite a solitary hobby feel much more connected. I think the biggest change has been reminding myself that building software is something I genuinely love doing, and it should feel like that. Not every session needs to end with a major breakthrough. Sometimes spending an evening making a tiny detail feel just right is more than enough.