Be My Widget
iOS, MacOS, VisionOS
B2C
Jul 2025 — Jan 2026
Role: Product Designer & Solo Developer — end-to-end
Focus: Product design + development, launch, and post-release scaling
Solo Impact: Solo product with organic acquisition and recurring revenue from sales
Focus: Product design + development, launch, and post-release scaling
Solo Impact: Solo product with organic acquisition and recurring revenue from sales
Overview
Be My Widget is an iOS customization toolkit with 200+ themes, a flexible Theme Editor, and a set of everyday widgets for quick access and planning.
Users:
Users:
- People who personalize their device and want a cohesive look
- People who rely on practical widgets to organize their day and access info fast
Solo Project Statement
A fully solo project built under tight constraints and ambitious goals. I owned the full cycle — research, design, development, marketing, and launch — to deeply understand the risks and trade-offs at every stage of product work.
Product Goals
Research the market
TAM/SAM/SOM, competitor scan, user communities, recruiting + user interviews.
Stay lean on resources
Plan work and backlog to ship solo: design, code, release, marketing, research.
Warm users up
Onboarding, paywalls, and conversion narrative from first open → purchase.
Standout design
Must grab multiple segments fast and look premium — without sacrificing usability.
Solo build & scale
Run experiments safely. Support across Apple platforms. New domain for me → higher risk.
Marketing
Meta SDK + Meta Ads launches, social outreach (Reddit), promo codes for activation, and collaborations.
- Research the marketTAM/SAM/SOM, competitor scan, user communities, recruiting + user interviews.
- Standout designMust grab multiple segments fast and look premium — without sacrificing usability.
- Stay lean on resourcesPlan work and backlog to ship solo: design, code, release, marketing, research.
- Solo build & scaleSet up a system to add content and run experiments safely. Support across Apple platforms. New domain for me → higher risk.
- Warm users upOnboarding, paywalls, and conversion narrative from first open → purchase.
- MarketingMeta SDK + Meta Ads launches, social outreach (Reddit), promo codes for activation, and collaborations.
Real-world Context Behind Key UX Decisions
-
Segment:
“Visual Customization”These users treat the Home Screen as self-expression. Visuals matter more than functionality, so they expect a large theme library, diverse styles, and an easy way to create custom looks — even without design skills. -
Segment:
“Functional Widgets”This group uses widgets for productivity: notes, counters, system data, and key info. They expect data-rich formats, high readability, and deep settings — and are fine with minimal design as long as it’s thoughtful. -
Premium quality barUsers react negatively to “stock” content and complicated setup flows. Each theme must feel crafted, and adding a widget should be frictionless: install → pick style → use. -
Low tolerance for adsThe market is saturated with aggressive ads, which creates distrust. The product is ad-free by design; monetization relies on clean paywall touchpoints that don’t disrupt the experience.
Roles & Product Ownership
-
FounderFocus:- Ship under tight constraints
- Validate real user pain + value
- Drive early sales and growth direction
-
Product Designer & ResearcherFocus:- Recruit, interview, test concepts
- Design end-to-end for multiple segments
- Create scalable content (themes, widgets, watch faces)
- Build a system to reduce design time/cost
- Track behavior in Amplitude + product metrics
-
DeveloperFocus:- Build the app solo from scratch
- Set up release pipeline and App Store updates
- Integrate SDKs and handle platform constraints
-
MarketerFocus:- Run Meta Ads (Advantage+) and segment experiments
- Find paying audiences and learn from behavior
- Engage communities: Reddit, Telegram, Instagram
Product Evolution Timeline
Design challenges
Managing the emotional experience
In Be My Widget, visuals are the core value — so I had to control “wow” without overwhelming users.
I used an emotional gradient: paced visual accents and detail so the product reveals itself gradually.
Result: steady attention and a predictable, low-friction UX.
I used an emotional gradient: paced visual accents and detail so the product reveals itself gradually.
Result: steady attention and a predictable, low-friction UX.
A simple, engaging content gallery
Instead of heavy filters and dense catalogs, I built a direct, “music-feed” style gallery for themes and widgets — like browsing album covers. Users can jump in instantly: tap, swipe both ways, and get fast previews with near-zero cognitive load.
Result:
choice feels more exciting, and sliders encourage exploring the full gallery — not just a single item.
choice feels more exciting, and sliders encourage exploring the full gallery — not just a single item.
Premium Themes
I crafted themes by hand, combining original graphics, AI tools, and premium imagery to deliver a distinctive look and a wide variety of styles.
Result:
a large set of premium themes — users заметно отмечают stronger “wow” vs competitors.
a large set of premium themes — users заметно отмечают stronger “wow” vs competitors.
Apple Vision PRO support
I added AR headset support, allowing users to place all app widgets into their space using the headset. This is enabled via the iPad version and the new WidgetKit in visionOS 26.
Result:
broader device coverage — widgets move into the real world, blurring the line between digital and physical.
broader device coverage — widgets move into the real world, blurring the line between digital and physical.
Widget placement
24-widget gallery
Themes & materials
Theme Editor for personalization
I built a lightweight Theme Editor with core tools: color picking, custom image uploads, and quick style adjustments.
Result:
users активно персонализируют темы своими фото, but some expect a more advanced feature set.
Result:
users активно персонализируют темы своими фото, but some expect a more advanced feature set.
Onboarding Quiz for Activation
In the first session, users take a short quiz that introduces key features and builds light FOMO before the final screen. Answers also help segment users and tailor the next steps.
Result:
onboarding shipped recently — metrics are being collected.
onboarding shipped recently — metrics are being collected.
Referral Gifts & PRO Codes
I designed “gift cards” — visual referral codes styled as semi-tactile digital cards. This makes activation feel intentional and rewarding, boosting emotional response and the likelihood of redeeming the code.
Result:
users воспринимают PRO code as a mini-reward,
which increases motivation to share gifts.
Result:
users воспринимают PRO code as a mini-reward,
which increases motivation to share gifts.
Apple Watch Faces
To increase product value, I added a gallery of real (not “fake”) Apple Watch faces. Each option is configurable directly in the Watch app, working around system limitations.
Result:
the gallery quickly gained traction — early users are already installing faces and sharing feedback for the next iterations.
the gallery quickly gained traction — early users are already installing faces and sharing feedback for the next iterations.
Paywall System & Monetization
I designed a clean paywall system embedded into onboarding and key flows. Four paywall variants trigger dynamically based on session frequency, locked actions, and completed milestones. I also added a soft-discount exit offer.
Result:
first sales started coming in, and paywall optimization became part of every release.
first sales started coming in, and paywall optimization became part of every release.
Development & Technical Implementation
My first project fully built in SwiftUI. I ramped up fast, set up a working architecture, and established a stable release cadence. The app runs fully on-device (no backend).
Result:
deeper platform understanding and confidence owning the full engineering cycle.
deeper platform understanding and confidence owning the full engineering cycle.
Main screen layout
Animation tests
Xcode with storyboards
First public release 1.0.0
AI-assisted workflow & rapid prototyping
I build most of the front-end myself. I use AI mainly to speed up prototyping, handle tricky backend/code questions, and help synthesize research insights into clear specs for development.
I test interfaces on real hardware across iOS, iPadOS, macOS
+ VisionOS emulator.
I build most of the front-end myself. I use AI mainly to speed up prototyping, handle tricky backend/code questions, and help synthesize research insights into clear specs for development.
I test interfaces on real hardware across iOS, iPadOS, macOS
+ VisionOS emulator.
Achievements
and Impact
and Impact
This project was fully solo and built in public. Every outcome is my direct contribution — and the process became hands-on practice across core product roles.
-
Deep understanding of the product cycle & team roles- Owned the full business path: discovery → prioritization → market → support
- Learned to rank ruthlessly and manage limited resources
- Better collaboration mindset across product, engineering, and marketing
-
Premium design
under constraints- Kept a high visual bar without slowing delivery
- Balanced aesthetics with time/effort ROI
- Learned that design matters — but isn’t the only success driver
-
Product development
& growth- Set up a stable build + release cadence
- Drove first organic installs and paid sales
- Learned SwiftUI and owned the full technical pipeline
GIFT CODE GIFT CODE GIFT CODE
Gift for Case Viewers - Activation Code!
Thank you for viewing the case — redeem a code for 36 premium themes + 2 exclusive widgets in Be My Widget.
All product rights and materials showcased in this case belong to P.E. VLADIMIR SIDORKIN. Copyright © 2026
Why I’m Not Leaving
Into Full-Time Foundership?
Into Full-Time Foundership?
I built this solo to learn the full product cycle. Now I want to bring that ownership into a high-performing team with data, scale, and bigger challenges.
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Team Impact: Accelerated delivery of new products and reduced design–dev inconsistencies.
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Role: Designer / Developer / R&D
Focus: AR experiments, custom design tools, interaction prototypes and design system explorations.
Solo Impact: Strengthened technical versatility and experimentation skills beyond core product work.
Role: Designer / Developer / R&D
Focus: AR experiments, custom design tools, interaction prototypes and design system explorations.
Solo Impact: Strengthened technical versatility and experimentation skills beyond core product work.
