Project Overview:

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/pomopals/id6742433596

PomoPals is a Pomodoro timer app that gamifies studying! By completing successful study periods, the user is rewarded with pals that they can customize, level up, and study with!

Key Features:

• Pomodoro Timer – A built-in timer that follows the Pomodoro technique, helping users stay productive with structured work and break intervals.
• Collect Pals – Users can unlock up to 18 different animated pals. These were all drawn in Aseprite and some have customization options
• Biome Themes – There are two different biomes to choose from, each that house unique Pals.
• Customization & Progression – Users can track their progress, level up Pals, and unlock new ones
• Engaging UI/UX – A fun and interactive interface designed to make productivity more enjoyable and gamified.

Challenges:

1. Redesigning most the UI to be more cohesive and better fit the pixel art style
2. Learning how to make 2D sprite animations and integrate them in Swift using SpriteKit and older UIKit libraries
3. App architecture - Deciding when a Singleton was better than using dependency injection with MVVM
4. WidgetKit with SwiftData (still trying to figure out)

Takeaways: