Side project · Product design & AI
PROJECT
Personal
ROLE
Design & Builder
I relied on Things 3 to organise my work and life, but didn’t want to pay for it on every device I use. Instead of switching to a generic alternative, I decided to design and build my own: a to-do app shaped exactly around how I work.
It was also a chance to test a question I kept asking myself as a designer: how far can I take a product on my own when AI handles the code?
I owned the whole product, from the information architecture to the visual design, the build and the release. Claude acted as my engineering partner, while every product and design decision stayed mine.
Benchmark & Structure
Deconstructed Things 3’s model (Areas, Projects, Headings, and the Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday and Logbook views) to understand what makes it feel calm and effective.
Kept that proven structure as the foundation, so the effort could go into quality rather than reinventing the basics.
Visual Direction
Brought a fintech-inspired language (bold, vibrant, confident) to a category usually designed in muted greys, drawing on my experience designing investment apps.
Chose a warm terracotta accent instead of the usual alarm red, so the app feels encouraging rather than stressful. Designed light and dark themes from the start.
AI-Assisted Build
Turned design intent into working code through iterative prompting with Claude: describing behaviours precisely, testing on device and refining until each interaction felt right.
Acted as product owner and QA at the same time, reviewing every change against how I actually use the app.
Ship & Use
Deployed as a progressive web app on Netlify, installed on my phone like a native app.
Added cloud sync so tasks follow me across devices, and a Personal/Work switch to keep both sides of my life separate.
Can a designer take a product from idea to a reliable, daily-use app on her own in a single afternoon, without compromising on design quality?
I worked in two phases.
First, I replicated the core functionality of Things 3 as closely as possible. A proven foundation let me focus on quality rather than reinventing the basics, and it gave me a clear benchmark to measure against.
Then I started adapting the app to my own habits. Instead of planning a roadmap upfront, I added features as real usage showed the need for them: when something slowed me down during the day, it became the next improvement.
Mapped the Areas, Projects, Headings and Tasks hierarchy and the time-based views, so that every task has one clear home.
Built a vibrant, high-contrast UI inspired by neobanks: strong typography, one dominant colour, generous spacing. Productivity doesn't have to look dull.
Designed in conversation: described behaviours, tested them on device, refined. Designing directly in the medium meant no handoff gap.
Drag-and-drop reordering, recurring tasks on chosen weekdays, checklists and tags, plus a French/English toggle, all added because I needed them in my own day.
Faire went from idea to daily use in 2 hours, and it has been part of my routine ever since.
It replaced a paid app with a product built exactly around my needs, at zero subscription cost.
The project proved that one designer can run the complete product loop (define, design, build, ship and iterate) without a development team.
It also changed how I see my role. With AI handling implementation, the bottleneck is no longer building but deciding: clear intent, sharp prioritisation and a strong eye for detail matter more than ever.
I now bring this approach into my work, using AI to prototype in the real medium instead of handing off static screens.
The first version was only the starting point.
Because I use Faire every day, every friction is immediately visible, and each one becomes the next improvement.
Since launch, I added recurring tasks on chosen weekdays, drag-and-drop reordering, checklists and tags, a French/English toggle, a Notes space, cloud sync across devices, and a stats view with a daily streak.
The app evolves from real usage rather than assumptions: the same discovery mindset I apply in my professional work, applied to my own product.
