2026.03.01
Defined the dual line: products + content
ContentStrategy
Not just building products, but systematically documenting, expressing, and sharing the process of independent development.
Build in public archive
Milestones
A record of my real process as an independent developer, from ideas to products and from launch to validation.
This page tracks the key moments where products were shipped, signals were found, and directions became clearer. They are not the finish line, but they form the trail.
Main line
Independent products
Tracking since
2026.03.01
Latest signal
#11 Paid Social
Timeline
Key milestones
Not a daily feed. Only the moments that changed direction, moved a product forward, or produced real feedback.
2026.03.04
Started taking independent development seriously again
JourneyDecision
I moved from questioning whether I should keep building apps to refocusing on small useful products and personal brand building.
2026.03.30
Da Huang Bie Pao launched on the App Store
LaunchiOS App
A real-time gold price assistant that puts international gold, AU9999, exchange rates, converted prices, and premium data into one focused interface.
2026.04.01
Heartwarm launched on the App Store
LaunchiOS App
A calm emotional journaling and light companion app that gives real feelings a clean, quiet, low-pressure place to be expressed.
2026.04.10
Old Friends Dinner launched on the App Store
LaunchiOS App
A lightweight coordination tool for familiar dinner gatherings, designed around time coordination, restaurant choices, attendance, and AA bill splitting.
2026.04.13
Old Friends Dinner reached Top 20 in Paid Social after 4 days
ValidationRanking
This was the first clear market signal for the product, and it made the iOS app path worth taking seriously again.
2026.04.13
Completed the first full loop from idea to App Store
BuildShipping
From product judgment, naming, interface design, implementation, and release, this was the first complete independent product loop.
Latest key validation
2026.04.15
Old Friends Dinner climbed to #11 in Paid Social
GrowthRanking
On the morning of April 15, 2026, Old Friends Dinner moved from #20 to #11 and entered the Top 15. The signal made the product's market feedback clearer and gave the next iteration a more concrete direction.
Notes / Reflection
Reflections to expand later
The timeline records outcomes. Reflections record judgment, tradeoffs, and the details behind the 0-to-1 process.
Process review
Why I almost gave up building iOS apps
A reflection on doubt, cost, review, distribution, and deciding whether the path still deserves focus.
Coming
Product judgment
If WeChat can coordinate dinners, why build Old Friends Dinner?
A small product is not about having more features. It is about removing friction from a real situation.
Coming
Validation sample
A small 0-to-1 validation by an independent developer
From naming, design, development, App Store release, and ranking signal, this records what the short-cycle experiment proved.
Coming
Follow the process
If you are following independent development and product building, this is where the next updates will compound.
I will keep documenting launches, market feedback, iteration decisions, and real reflections here and across short-form channels.
Update channels
Douyin
WeChat Channels
Official Account
Email