Song of the Day
A social music app built around one intentional daily post. It is my current flagship example of product design, mobile UX, and independent release work.
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About Me
I am Stephen "Skows" Kowalski, an independent designer and developer who creates games and mobile apps from concept through release.
What I Care About
I am interested in the space where systems, interaction, and human behavior meet: how a rule changes what someone chooses, how a constraint creates meaning, and how an experience can stay engaging without becoming overwhelming.
My work includes a shipped cross-platform social music app, a shipped Android idle game, narrative game development, and focused prototypes exploring progression, combat, resources, and player choice.
Games and apps are different forms, but I approach them with the same question: what should this experience help someone understand, feel, choose, or return to?
How I Work
These are the principles that show up whether I am tuning a game economy or shaping a mobile app flow.
Experience before complexity
A feature is only useful if people understand it and it improves the experience.
Behavior is part of the design
Rules, incentives, friction, and feedback all influence what players and users choose to do.
Constraints create direction
Limiting scope or available actions can make decisions clearer and more meaningful.
Iteration is the work
I enjoy building an idea, finding where it breaks down, gathering feedback, and refining it until it feels intuitive.
Shipping changes the questions
A public product introduces technical, platform, privacy, and support realities that static concepts never reveal.
Systems should serve people
I like systems that create interesting behavior without burying the person using them.
Current and Recent Work
Cult of Coin
A satirical idle game where I designed progression, prestige, economy balance, implementation, testing, and release.
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Tools and Working Knowledge
Tools are secondary to the design, but these are the ones represented in my work.
Games
- Unity
- RPG Maker MZ
- Progression, economy, and encounter design
Mobile Products
- Expo / React Native
- Firebase
- App Store Connect and Google Play Console workflows
Product Thinking
- User flows and feature definition
- Mobile UX and interaction design
- Social and notification systems
Shipping
- Testing and iteration
- Privacy, terms, and data-deletion support pages
- Release copy and product maintenance
What I am looking for
I am open to roles in game design, systems design, game UX, product design, and mobile UX, especially on teams where I can help shape an experience from early concept through implementation and iteration.