Ray Wenderlich Independent Developer

Who are you and what do you do?

I'm an independent iPhone developer and gamer, and my wife Vicki and I run a small iOS development studio called Razeware LLC. I'm passionate both about making apps and teaching others the techniques to make them. I run a site that publishes high quality iOS tutorials called raywenderlich.com, along with a team of amazing iOS developers.

How did you get started in developing for Apple devices?

I always wanted to run my own business, but when Vicki and I first got married I realized now was the best time - before kids came along :]

Looking at my options, developing for iOS seemed the best way for a small guy like me to get started - so I quit my job and dove into it head first. It's been a blast ever since!

What does your computer and workspace setup look like while developing?

As you can see, dual monitors are the key component, couldn't live without them. I also keep two notebooks - one is a time log that I use whenever I begin and end work on a task. This allows me to track where my time goes, which is very useful for self analysis and improvement. I also keep a second notebook to help expand my poor short term memory ;]

What app trends have you seen lately that have stood out to you?

As more and more apps get out there, it's becoming more and more competitive. You really have to deliver a quality, polished app in order for it to do well these days - and even that isn't a guarantee of success. Of course, this is a good thing since it makes everyone reach for the stars - but I worry for a lot of new guys getting started, as there is a big learning curve to make a high quality app.

Your website features some great tutorials for iOS developers, how did posting these tutorials come about?

When I first started iOS development I started posting notes and tutorials about what I was learning online. Over the years the site became more and more popular, and I started giving readers the opportunity to vote on what tutorials they wanted next. Eventually keeping up with the tutorial requests become overwhelming, so I opened up writing for the site to other developers. Now we have an amazing group of guys bringing free tutorials for everyone every week. Our goal is to make technical learning easy and fun, from beginner topics to the most cool and advanced techniques out there.

If you had two minutes to tell another developer your favourite iOS development tip, what would it be?

This goes along with the last question a bit: if you want to really master a subject, teach others what you know. This could be giving a talk at a technical conference or meetup, sharing some code on Github, or writing a tutorial on the subject. And of course if you ever want to get help and training on how to write high quality tutorials, drop me a note, we're always looking for good developers and tutorial writers! :]

Finally, what is your favourite app?

I'm a huge fan of Evernote - I use it to organize everything I'm working on, from outstanding tasks for the apps I'm working on, to notes from watching WWDC videos, to keeping track of tutorial ideas and progress, etc. Highly recommended!