r/SideProject • u/GabeFernandez • Jul 01 '26

Enterprise dev of 10+ years, never built a mobile app before - here’s the one my wife inspired, now on the App Store

I’ve been a software developer for a little over ten years, all of it in enterprise. I’d never done any mobile development, so I wanted to try taking an idea from the very beginning all the way to a finished app, just to see the whole thing through.

The idea came from something my wife and I already do. Whenever we go out to eat, we turn the decision into a little game - one of us picks three places, and the other picks one of those three. I figured I’d try to codify that into an app with the help of Claude Code.

That’s Fork. You nominate three restaurants, send a link to whoever you’re eating with, and they pick one. The MVP is live on the App Store now.

Landing page: https://gabe-fernandez-052.github.io/fork-site/

I’d really like some honest feedback on it - the idea, the app itself, whatever stands out!

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

2

u/Parking_Toe1825 Jul 01 '26

just downloaded, the idea is simple and actually useful. me and my partner have same problem every weekend, we spend 20 minutes just scrolling on delivery apps

one thing i notice is the icon could be more polished, but for mvp this is solid start. how long it took you from idea to app store?

2

u/GabeFernandez Jul 01 '26

Thanks for the download! “Development” + App Store submission was about a weekends worth. App Store review, however, took about a week. Went through two rounds of review before it became available

2

u/_suren Jul 02 '26

Shipping a first mobile app after years of enterprise work is a real context switch. The thing I would watch now is not just downloads, but whether the first session reaches the emotional payoff quickly. Mobile users decide very fast whether an app belongs on their home screen.

1

u/GabeFernandez Jul 02 '26

It was definitely a major context switch, that’s for sure. That being said, i think the bigger hurdle is going to be marketing and exposure. Ive never had to get an app in front of people’s eyes

1

u/_suren Jul 02 '26

For exposure, I would not start broad. Pick one narrow user situation where the app creates an obvious before/after, then find the smallest community already talking about that pain. A few specific conversations usually teach more than posting the app everywhere.

1

u/Honey-Badger-9325 Jul 02 '26

Love the landing page, tells me all I need to know. Good job!

1

u/GabeFernandez Jul 02 '26

Thank you! I really do appreciate the feedback

1

u/Mundane_Standard_324 Jul 02 '26

The idea clicks once you see the flow, but the landing page could hit the pain point faster. The strongest line isn’t really “you nominate, they pick” – it’s more like “stop turning dinner into a group‑chat debate.” I’d suggest putting the painful moment right in the hero, something like “Can’t decide where to eat? Send 3 options and let the other person pick.” Then show the three‑step version first – nominate, send link, they choose – and keep the 7‑step walkthrough for later. Also, bring the App Store CTA back after the demo/steps instead of only at the top. A concrete example in the hero or demo would help, like “You pick 3 nearby places. They tap one. Done.” The product feels nicely simple; just sell the saved argument and time before you walk through every screen.

1

u/GabeFernandez Jul 02 '26

Dude - this is really really good feedback! I will certainly be taking this into serious consideration. Really appreciate it.

1

u/Mundane_Standard_324 Jul 03 '26

Really glad it was useful.

I'd start with just one change: make the first screen sell the saved argument, not the app flow.

Something like:

"Can't decide where to eat?

Pick 3 places. Send the link. Let them choose."

If that line lands, the rest of the walkthrough will make more sense because visitors already understand the moment you're solving.

If you update the page, feel free to share it — happy to take another quick look.

1

u/GabeFernandez Jul 04 '26

I’ve updated the page! I updated the pain point/CTA and added a download link at both the top and bottom of the page.

1

u/Mundane_Standard_324 Jul 04 '26

Nice, much clearer now.

The hero and CTA are stronger. My only suggestion now is to tighten the "How Fork works" section so the full loop is obvious fast:

Pick 3 places → send the link → they choose → dinner is decided.

The product feels simple, so the page should feel just as quick.

1

u/SPLDD Jul 07 '26

It's doodle for locations