Paul Roden Jr.

Noel version 4 marks a new chapter for my Christmas countdown app. This update is a complete rewrite and redesign, bringing a modern interface, improved performance, and a stronger foundation for future updates.

Rebuilding the app from the ground up wasn’t a simple task, but it created an opportunity to refine the experience. I focused on delivering a cleaner, more minimal design that still captures the festive spirit. The result is an app that feels faster, lighter, and easier to maintain while staying true to its holiday roots.

The rewrite also provided valuable lessons. Choosing what to carry forward and what to simplify was a challenge, but it helped me prioritize the core countdown experience instead of overwhelming the app with unnecessary features. Designing with minimalism made every detail more important, pushing me to refine each element with care.

Looking ahead, Noel’s new foundation makes it easier to add features that many users have requested, such as countdown themes, widgets, and festive animations to bring the experience to life. Feedback will play a big role in shaping where Noel goes from here, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on what would make the countdown even more special.

Version 4 is only the beginning of this new direction. Below you can see a glimpse of how far Noel has come — a side-by-side look at the previous design and the new, refreshed version.

— Paul

Hi, I’m Paul Roden Jr., an indie iOS developer. I’m starting this blog to share my journey of building apps — the progress, the challenges, and the lessons I learn along the way.

So far, I’ve worked on apps like ProLight (flashlight + fitness), Noel (Christmas countdown), TaskSync (task manager), and DocMatic (document scanner). Each project has taught me something new, and I want to document that process here.

Right now, I’m focused on Noel 3, a big redesign with widgets and new features. I’ll be posting updates as I go.

Thanks for following along — more dev logs coming soon!

— Paul