The problem
Language learning apps ask too much. The ones that work require daily 20-minute sessions, streaks, and consistent willpower. I wanted something closer to a daily habit — something you could do in 90 seconds and still make forward progress over months.
The build
Deutsch Daily delivers one German word per day with usage context, etymology where it's interesting, and an example sentence. Built as a native Swift app with a deliberately minimal UI. The focus is on one thing: making the word stick without competing for attention.
What I learned
01
Designing for habit formation is different from designing for engagement — they pull in opposite directions
02
Spaced repetition works, but only if the format is low-friction enough to actually use daily
03
Swift's async/await model simplified notification scheduling more than expected