I paused working on Wreyte to build a health and fitness app called Be ARCtive, an app that tracks your daily steps along with other useful features. It is a small but practical app for people who care about their health and fitness metrics. I wanted something simple and easy to navigate, focusing only on the metrics that mattered to me, while still adding a unique touch.
Be ARCtive extends what is already available through Apple Health, but adds cool features such as a workout timer, a route map for walks and runs, and a targets and achievements system that allows you to challenge yourself and earn badges.
Why I Built This App
The main reasons I built this app were to learn iOS development using Swift the native language for Apple platforms and to build something I genuinely cared about. I am an active person, so creating a fitness app made perfect sense to me.
The tooling available within the Apple ecosystem, along with the Swift language itself, made it easier for me to accomplish this goal. It felt an ideal match, or as if the stars aligned. Although I still have a lot to learn about Swift, and I do not consider myself an expert by any means, the learning process has been incredibly rewarding.
What I Like About Be ARCtive
I believe all the features are valuable, but what stands out the most to me are the route map feature and the logo.
The route map was the most challenging component to build and, alongside the logo, the most creative part of the app. While it is not as advanced as what you might find in an app like Strava, it has a solid foundation and plenty of room for improvement.
The logo captures the core idea of the app, as it shows a person running from one location to another, with a target symbol inside the destination location pin. It visually represents movement, purpose, and progress toward a goal.
Designing the logo allowed me to explore my creative side. I have always loved art and design, so this process was especially enjoyable for me. I believe the reason I am most drawn to the route map and logo is because they are the most creative components of the app.
To Conclude
If there is one major takeaway from this project, it is the importance of curiosity. If I had not been curious about learning iOS development with Swift and if I had allowed doubt to hold me back I would never have built this app. Keep going, stay curious, and remember that the only limit is the one you place on yourself.