Most of our work at GS Store happens for clients. But every so often, we build something of our own: a small product where we control every decision, from the first sketch to the release notes.
Arrow Puzzle and Quit Tracker are two of those products. On the surface they couldn’t be more different: one is a game you play to switch off, the other is a tool you open when you’re trying hard to stay on track. Underneath, they were built with the same principles we bring to every client project.
Why a software agency builds its own apps
Building our own products keeps us honest. When there’s no client brief to lean on, every trade-off is ours: what to cut, what to polish, and what users actually need versus what we assumed they need.
It also gives us a place to test ideas properly — new frameworks, onboarding patterns, analytics setups, release processes — before we recommend them to anyone else.
01 — GameArrow Puzzle: simple rules, satisfying depth
Arrow Puzzle is built around one idea: every tile points somewhere, and your job is to clear the board by moving arrows in the right order. A wrong move can block the path, so each level becomes a small exercise in planning ahead.
We wanted a game that respects the player’s time. No clutter, no aggressive pop-ups — just a clean board, clear feedback, and a difficulty curve that grows gradually.
Arrow Puzzle
Logic puzzle game · iOS & Android
What we focused on
- Instant readability. High-contrast arrows and generous spacing, so the whole board makes sense at a glance — even on small screens.
- Fair difficulty. Levels introduce one new idea at a time, so players feel clever rather than stuck.
- Forgiving controls. Undo and hints are always one tap away, keeping the game relaxing instead of frustrating.
- Lightweight performance. Smooth animations and fast load times on older devices, not just flagship phones.
“A good puzzle feels impossible for ten seconds, then obvious forever.”
02 — WellbeingQuit Tracker: progress you can see
Quitting a habit is hard, and the hardest days are often the ones where progress feels invisible. Quit Tracker makes that progress concrete: how long you’ve gone, how much money you’ve kept, and what milestone is coming next.
We designed it to be encouraging, never judgmental. A slip isn’t a failure screen — it’s a fresh start, with your history still there to show how far you’ve come.
Milestones turn a long goal into small, achievable steps. Illustrative screen.
Quit Tracker
Habit & recovery tracker · iOS & Android
What we focused on
- One glance, full picture. Your streak, savings and next milestone live on a single home screen.
- Motivation without pressure. Milestones celebrate progress; setbacks reset the counter, not your history.
- Privacy by default. Personal progress is sensitive, so we kept data collection to what the app genuinely needs.
- Gentle reminders. Optional check-ins that support the habit instead of nagging.
What the two apps have in common
A puzzle game and a habit tracker serve very different moments. But the process behind them was the same one we use for client work: discover, define, design, develop, launch — then keep improving.
| Principle | Arrow Puzzle | Quit Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity first | Readable board at any size | Progress visible in one glance |
| Respect the user | No aggressive interruptions | Encouraging, never judgmental |
| Small, steady wins | Gradual difficulty curve | Milestones along the way |
| Built to last | Fast on older devices | Reliable, private data |
Lessons you can apply to your product
Start smaller than feels comfortable. Both apps launched with a tight feature set. It’s easier to add what users ask for than to remove what they never use.
Design the hard moment. In a game, it’s the level where players get stuck. In a habit tracker, it’s the day they slip. The experience at that moment decides whether people stay.
Treat launch as the beginning. Reviews, usage data and support messages shaped every update we’ve shipped since. The first version is where learning starts.
If you’re planning a mobile app — for your customers or your own team — we’d be glad to help you shape it.