Song of the Day
Solo Designer & Developer
A low-pressure social music app built around one intentional daily post. I designed and developed the product from concept through release on iOS and Android.
Stephen "Skows" Kowalski - Designer & Developer
I design and build games and mobile apps.
I create intuitive, systems-driven experiences, from progression-focused games to social mobile products, and carry them from early concept through implementation, iteration, and release.
2 shipped mobile products
One social app and one mobile game.
Released on iOS and Android
Song of the Day is available on both stores.
Games, apps, and prototypes
Systems, interaction, progression, and mobile UX.
Concept-to-launch ownership
Design, implementation, testing, store release, and iteration.
Flagship Shipped Work
The clearest proof of how I think, build, and ship: a cross-platform social music app and an Android idle game.
Cult of Coin
Solo Designer & Developer
A satirical mobile idle game exploring progression, prestige, and the behavior created by long-term economic systems.
Selected Experiments & In-Development Work
Smaller slices, prototypes, and ongoing projects that show how I explore progression, combat, resource pressure, and narrative systems.
Past the End
A systems-driven narrative JRPG with handcrafted encounters, exploration-based progression, and philosophy expressed through play.
How I Approach Design
Games and apps are different forms, but the design questions often rhyme: what should someone understand, feel, choose, and return to?
Start with the experience
I define what the player or user should understand, feel, and accomplish before deciding how the system should work.
Design the behavior
Progression, constraints, incentives, and interaction rules all shape what people choose to do. I design those relationships intentionally.
Build, test, refine
I prototype ideas, find friction through use and feedback, and keep iterating until the experience feels clear and cohesive.
Ship the real thing
Public releases add constraints that prototypes never reveal: stores, support, privacy, performance, onboarding, and long-term maintenance.
Capabilities
Working areas I keep returning to across games, apps, and prototypes.
Game & Systems Design
- Core loops and progression
- Economy design and balance iteration
- Encounter, reward, and pacing design
Product & Experience Design
- User flows and interaction design
- Mobile UX, onboarding, and information hierarchy
- Social systems and notification logic
Prototyping & Implementation
- Unity and RPG Maker MZ
- Expo / React Native and Firebase
- Mobile release workflows and iteration
Independent Product Work
- Scope definition and feature prioritization
- Testing, polish, and store deployment
- Privacy, support, and post-launch updates
Let's make something people want to return to.
I am open to opportunities in game design, systems design, UX, product design, and multidisciplinary indie development.