Ivan Nedyalkov

Indie Developer and designer living in Varna, Bulgaria

Issue #409 April 6, 2024

About

By day, Ivan Nedyalkov is an Operational Product Manager at a large online retail company.

On the side, he is an indie developer and designer. He's currently working on Velocity, an iOS app for space enthusiasts that provides detailed tracking of ongoing and upcoming space launch operations.

Follow his progress below as he builds out the app and also starts his own design agency.

Posts → posts.cv/ivannedyalkovThreads → threads.net/@ivanenedyalkov

Photos

5 images

Gear

22 items

Computer M1 Mac Mini

Monitor 27” BenQ monitor Buy

Monitor Arm Arctic gas spring monitor arm Buy

Mouse Logitech MX Master 3 Buy

Accessories Logitech MX Keys Mini Buy

Desk Mat Nomad leather mousepad Buy

Phone iPhone 11 (for testing purposes)

Accessories Apple HomePod mini Buy

Headphones Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Buy

Headphones Apple AirPods Pro Buy

Accessories Apple MagSafe charger with Nomad MagSafe mount Buy

Monitor Arm Belkin iPhone monitor mount with MagSafe Buy

Lighting Xiaomi Mi Desk Lamp Pro Buy

Lighting Nanoleaf Essentials lightstrip Buy

Accessories L'Occitane scented candle

Tablet IKEA KARLBY tabletop with IKEA ALEX drawer unit

Accessories Limited edition Star Wars print by

Accessories Benjamin Carré Buy

Accessories Fine Sakura pencil from Japan (for occasional design drafts on paper)

Accessories Safari

Accessories Perplexity AI

Accessories ROON + Tidal (for managing my CD collection and music streaming)

Software

7 apps

Xcode

Figma

Affinity Designer

Linear

Apple Notes

Raycast

Claude

Interview

3 questions

› What is the most useful item in your workspace?

It's got to be the Logitech MX Master 3 mouse. I've been using it for both work and personal stuff for about five years now. It surely needs an upgrade.

› How do you spark creativity?

By looking around and noticing things that annoy me or don't work well, whether it's something that looks bad or functions poorly. Each frustrating thing I see becomes motivation for me to come up with creative new solutions to fix or improve it. The more irritating things catch my attention, the more possibilities for creative problem-solving open up. I’m also inspired by what Dieter Rams and Paul Rand have accomplished with their work.

› What has been the biggest challenge so far in building StellarJet?

While the app's development has been smooth cosmic sailing so far, a challenge definitely awaits - combining multiple data sources with my own custom elements to create a rich, more detailed and data-driven perspective on even the most routine rocket launch operations. I will soon be posting the progress on social, so stay tuned.