App design & development
App Design & Development
Custom mobile and web apps for small businesses, and for the hobby or niche idea nobody else has built yet. Owner to owner: you deal with me start to finish.
What I build
Apps that do one job well.
Android apps
Installable apps for phones, tablets and car head units. Big controls, works the way your crew or customers actually hold the device.
Installable web apps (PWA)
One build that runs in the browser and installs to the home screen on phones and computers. Can keep working offline.
Booking & customer apps
Let customers book, check status or reorder without a phone call. Tied to the website you already have.
Internal tools
Route, job and inventory apps for the shop. The spreadsheet and the whiteboard, turned into something the crew can use on a phone.
Hobby & niche ideas
Got an idea for your club, your trail group or your weekend thing? If it is useful, it is worth building right.
Websites to match
Apps pair with a Porch Light Desk website, so the brand, the offer and the contact path line up.
App rebuilds
Already have an app? Let’s fix it.
Slow or outdated
Modern design and screens that load fast and read clean on today’s phones.
Broken or buggy
I track down the bugs that keep coming back and fix them, not just patch them.
Left behind
Old developer gone? I pick it up, sort out what is there and get it moving again.
Offline & more devices
Make it work with no signal, or on phones, tablets and car head units.
First app case study
Backroads: ride navigation for side-by-sides.
Offline-capable back-roads ride navigation for side-by-sides and RZRs in Middle Tennessee, with turn-by-turn directions, spoken cues and big glove-friendly controls for a car head unit. Private build, Android and web.
Process
How an app gets built here.
1. Talk it through
Text or email me what the app needs to do and who uses it. I tell you straight if a website would do the job instead.
2. Quote per project
A written scope and a quote for that app. No surprise line items.
3. Design the screens
The main screens first, sized for real thumbs and real gloves. You see it before it gets built out.
4. Build and test
I build it and test it on the devices you use, including the no-signal and wrong-turn cases.
5. Ship it
Installed on your phones, devices or the web. You get a version you can actually use, not a demo.
6. Keep it running
Fixes and new features as versions, the same way Backroads moves from one release to the next.
FAQ
Short answers.
Can you rebuild an app I already have?
Yes. If your app is slow, outdated, broken or was left behind by an old developer, I can modernize the design, fix the bugs and make it work offline or on more devices. You deal with me start to finish.
Do you only build apps for businesses?
No. Small businesses are most of the work, but hobby and niche ideas are welcome too. Backroads started as a ride app for side-by-sides, built because the tool did not exist.
Android, iPhone or web?
Most projects start as an installable web app (PWA) that runs on any phone and computer, and an Android app when you need it on a device or head unit. iPhone builds are scoped per project.
Do I need an app or just a better website?
Often a website is enough. If customers or crew need to do something over and over, like book, track a job, follow a route or check stock, an app can earn its keep. I will tell you straight which one fits.
Can it work without cell signal?
Yes, when the job calls for it. Backroads keeps offline map tiles and shows a no-signal banner, so it keeps working out on back roads.
What does an app cost?
Apps are quoted per project after a short talk about what it needs to do. No prices on this page because no two apps are the same size.
Who do I deal with?
Me. Erik designs it, builds it, tests it and ships the updates. You text or email one person start to finish.