How I Built a Social Confidence App in 60 Days

From app ideation to being live on the App Store: the experiments, challenges, and successes behind building, monetising, and marketing.

Nathan Lawlor is a Senior iOS Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, co-author of the Swift Cookbook (Third Edition), and a regular presenter at NSManchester. He has three live apps on the Apple App Store.

Transcript

1. How I Built a Social Confidence App in 60 Days Leeds Mobile — Shipaton — RevenueCat Nathan Lawlor - 30th September, 2026
2. Nathan Lawlor Based in MCR ! Senior iOS Engineer @ Jaguar Land Rover (3yrs) Co-Author of the Swift Cookbook: Third Edition (2024) Developer of Three Apps on the Apple App Store Regular Presenter at NSManchester Self-Improvement Blogger Dancer, Reader, & Chess Player Find me on Linked In ➡ nlawlor15 12
3. Shipaton 2026 The perfect challenge at the perfect time
4. App Ideation Day 1*- 2 Week One *1st August, 2026
5. Brainstorming Make some notes A. What problems do I have? B. Could I solve the problem with an app? C. Has the problem already been solved? • If yes, can I do it better or simpler? D. Am I obsessed with the idea? Inspiration: Everything but the Code by Paul Hudson 15
6. Competitor Analysis Step-by-step guide 1. Find a competitor app that you would consider using 2. Pick out the good things and the bad things 3. Read the negative reviews 4. Find one thing you can make better 5. Find one thing you can make simpler 16
7. Validation & Research Day 2 - 4 Week One
8. Simple Prototype Visualise the App Idea A simple one-screen visual of the main features listed during app ideation that can be shown during market research to potential users Ideally spend no more than a few hours putting this together, which can be achieved even quicker with AI tools Prepare to forget that some of these features ever existed! 18
9. Market Research Talk first and build later A. Do others have the same problem? B. Does the idea solve the problem? • If yes, to what extent? C. Would people use an app to solve the problem? D. Would people pay for an app that solves the problem? 19
11. The Results a.k.a The Inside Scoop 1. The average confidence score sits at 6.5 / 10, whilst the perceived importance of improving social confidence sits at 7.8 / 10 2. The top three most challenging social situations for people are: Meeting new people, Keeping conversations going, and Networking 3. 74% of people stated that they have tried to improve their social confidence, but 0% of those people have tried to do this through a mobile app 4. Personalised daily challenges, progress tracking, and confidence insights ranked the highest on perceived value, with AI coaching and personalised feedback as close competitors 5. 74% of people stated the app would be worth paying for per month, if the app genuinely helped improved their confidence (26% of people wouldn't consider paying). The majority of those that would pay sat within a range of £2 to £5, with the full range being £0< to £10 21
12. Defining the MVP Day 3 - 7 End of Week One
13. Define the “WHY” The core principle to live by whilst building the app People don't lack awareness of social confidence—they lack structured, personalised, real-world practice. ➕ Every feature should help the user take action, reflect on that action, or recognise their progress. $ Real confidence is built through consistent real-world personalised practice, thoughtful reflection, and measurable progress. 23
14. The Famous Five Stay as close to the “WHY” as possible 1. Daily Challenges (Unique Selling Point) • From a Challenge library across 9 social situations 2. Personalisation • Using Onboarding to understand Focus Areas and Goals 3. Challenge Reflection 4. Progress Tracking 5. Weekly Review 24
15. Building the MVP Day 8 - 28 End of Week Four
16. Early User Feedback Gather valuable insights • Consistent Language & Messaging • Daily Streaks • Home Screen Widgets • Updating Personalisation • i.e. Changing Focus Areas and Primary Goal from Onboarding 26
17. Making Important Decisions Avoid scope creep at all costs • Pro Features • Challenge Paths • Push Notifications • Retention improvements • Broader challenge library • Capped at 108 (i.e. 12 challenges for each of the 9 social categories) 27
18. App Logo Day 29-30 Week Five
19. Paper & Pencil Using some inner cretivity 15 App Logo Sketches in 2 hours Vote Results from 18 People: % No. 12 ~ 15 votes & No. 5 ~ 8 votes ' No. 14 | No 15 ~ 5 votes 29
20. Laptop & Cursor Using some outer creativity No. 5 No. 12 No. 14 30
21. Finalised App Logo Brought to life with Icon Composer 31
22. Monetisation Day 31 - 39 Week Five through Six
23. RevenueCat Here comes the paywall A. Subscription benefits B. Monthly subscription • Pricing listed - £2.99 • Including a 1 Week Free Trial C. Yearly subscription • Pricing listed - £19.99 • Monthly price - £1.66 (56%) D. Legal documents 33
24. Paywall Improvements Long-term vision 1. Customer Reviews 2. App Store Rating 3. Limited Time Offers 4. More Benefits 5. In-App Promotion Video 34
25. App Store Submission Day 40*- 58 Week Six through Eight *9th September, 2026
26. Prepare for Submission Absolute essentials • App Binary - Working & Validated • Monthly Subscription Product • Pricing, Countries, and Screenshot included • Yearly Subscription Product • Pricing, Countries, and Screenshot included • Paid Apps Agreement & Tax Forms • Privacy Declaration
27. App Store Optimisation Your first impression counts • Title / Subtitle • App Store Screenshots • Minimum of three • Description • Keywords
28. Rejections Better to learn than never know at all • Screen recordings • Paywall and Subscription activation • Privacy Policy • Data collection (including third-parties) • Terms of Use (EULA) • For Subscriptions • Apple’s standard EULA is acceptable 38
29. Marketing Day 57*- Present Week Eight through Nine *Not including #BuildInPublic posts
30. Strategies Shout about your app wherever you can • Build in Public • Social Media • Linked In, Instagram • Networking • NSManchester, LeedsMobile • User Generated Content 40
31. Go Live! Day 60* Week Nine *30th September, 2026
33. More: Social Confidence Available on the Apple App Store 43
34. How I Built a Social Confidence App in 60 Days Leeds Mobile — Shipaton — RevenueCat Nathan Lawlor - 30th September, 2026