Blog

Notes from the studio

Practical writing about design, motion and code โ€” from people who ship apps, not just talk about them. Also on Medium.

Can you use a period tracker app as birth control?

Why a predicted fertile window isn't contraception, and how well fertility awareness works.

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SheSync vs Stardust

Two social period trackers compared on sharing, astrology, privacy and price.

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Hydration Hero vs WaterMinder

Two popular water trackers compared on goals, drink weighting, motivation and price.

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The best water tracker apps for iPhone in 2026

What to look for, how the popular apps differ, and how to pick one you'll keep using.

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How to drink more water: 12 tips that actually work

Habit-based ways to make drinking water automatic instead of a chore.

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How much water to drink when you exercise or it's hot

Before, during and after workouts, sweat loss, sports drinks and hot days.

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Signs of dehydration: early symptoms and when it's serious

What to look for, who's most at risk, and how to rehydrate.

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How much water should you drink a day? The honest answer

Forget eight glasses. What the guidelines actually say, how to find your own number, and the check that beats any calculator.

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Does coffee count as water? What actually hydrates you

Coffee, tea, milk, juice, beer, sports drinks โ€” which hydrate you and which work against you, according to the research.

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Flo and Clue alternatives: private period trackers compared

How the alternatives compare on privacy, price and partner sharing.

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How to track your period on the pill

Withdrawal bleeds explained, what to track, and how other methods change bleeding.

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SheSync vs Apple Health Cycle Tracking

Is iPhone's built-in tracker enough? An honest side-by-side.

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The best period tracker apps for couples, compared

How cycle sharing works in SheSync, Flo, Clue and Apple Health โ€” and what your partner actually sees.

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How to support your partner on their period

A phase-by-phase guide for partners: what helps, what not to say, and when to suggest a doctor.

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How to choose a private period tracker: 7 questions

Where your cycle data goes, who sees it, what AI features do with it โ€” and how to delete it.

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Why is my period late? 10 common reasons

What counts as late, the usual explanations, and when it's worth seeing a doctor.

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Cycle syncing 101: the four phases of your cycle, in plain English

What the menstrual, follicular, ovulation and luteal phases actually mean โ€” minus the jargon and the influencer nonsense.

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How to share your period cycle with your partner

Why cycle sharing changes relationships, how to bring it up, and what your partner actually sees.

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Human + AI: how we ship apps in weeks, not months

The four-beat loop behind our AI-accelerated builds โ€” and what it looked like on a real app.

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What AI pair-programming actually changes (and what it doesn't)

An honest field report: where AI delivers 10x speed, where it quietly fails, and how we keep quality high.

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I couldn't find a palette picker, so I made my own

Building a colour tool in 2025 โ€” because sometimes the app you need doesn't exist yet.

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Google Play is now only for big teams โ€” solo devs beware

What Google's testing requirements mean if you're shipping apps on your own.

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Mac app: concept to shipping in 4 hours with Cursor AI

Optimism, anxiety, and what AI-assisted development actually feels like.

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Why I built a water tracker in 2024

The thinking behind Hydration Hero โ€” and why a crowded category isn't a closed one.

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From concept to creation: a student-designed mental health companion

How the Monash Thrive app went from student designs to a real product.

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Bringing our mental-health app to life with Rive

Why we chose real-time interactive animation for Thrive โ€” and what it did for the feel of the app.

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Animation curves: motion that feels right

A practical guide to easing โ€” why the right curve makes an interface feel alive instead of mechanical.

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Using Flutter as a designer

What happens when designers build in the same tool as the engineers โ€” and why we design in code.

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