Grow with people, not just features

Transcript

1. Grow with people, not just features - The path from solo app development to monetization - DRAWER
2. About Me Introduction
3. Yuto Nakano iOS Developer Experience Worked for three years developing iOS apps for a video streaming service. Transitioned from solo development to founding a company, focusing on product design and development for business expansion. In July 2025, will move to Vancouver, Canada, to study UI/UX design at a college.
4. A language journal app to help you speak more naturally — “DRAWER”
5. “THE REASON FOR WRITING AN ENGLISH JOURNAL” IS TO “GET AHEAD BY LEARNING THE ENGLISH PHRASES YOU’LL ACTUALLY USE YOURSELF.“
7. The Path to Monetization Main Topic
8. Monetization A subscription is required to use AI features.
9. For the first six months after release, there was almost no monetization.
10. Meanwhile, despite only 2–3 installs per day, a few users subscribed.
11. ※The features have hardly changed.
12. Why was it able to become profitable?
13. Because I stopped developing alone and built a team.
15. Solo Team ※Engineer: 1, Marketers: 2.5
16. Learning It’s meaningless if it doesn’t reach the user.
17. 1. I was able to entrust tasks to people who are good at them. What Went Well
18. Delegating to the right people Influencer Partnerships TikTok / Instagram Marketing
19. DRAWER Presents: English-Learning Creator Meetup 2025
20. 2. The quality of the product improved What Went Well
21. The product quality improved User Interviews Product Improvement Discussions
22. The product quality improved Home Screen & Onboarding Redesign Subscription rate increased by 1.6× Before After
23. ３. I gained something more important than revenue What Went Well
24. At Expo Osaka wearing our service logo T-shirts Before leaving for Canada As someone without study-abroad experience, I felt encouraged before moving to Canada. Not only through DRAWER, but I want to keep taking on challenges together with everyone.
25. In the End Summary
26. 1.If it doesn’t reach the user, it has no meaning. 2.Even with a small audience, purchases can be a sign to focus more on marketing. 3.Don’t limit yourself to the label of “solo developer” — adopt the approach that best fits your goal. Summary
27. Topics I Want to Discuss in the Future 1.Developing an Android app (React Native) based on the existing iOS (Swift) app 2.Designing subscription models to maximize revenue 3.Optimizing the app’s onboarding experience 4.Automating revenue tracking for social media ads 5.Acquiring new users through Apple Search Ads 6.Integrating iOS Shortcuts into the app to improve usability 7.Tips for maintaining a 4.8 App Store rating while increasing the number of reviews
28. Please give it a try.