Carter Manahan

Carter Manahan

iOS Developer | UX/UI Designer

Skills

The work sits across product, engineering, and communication – building things that feel considered end-to-end rather than stitched together.

Core Craft

iOS Development

Building Swift / SwiftUI apps that are stable, quick to navigate, and honest about what they do.

  • Swift / SwiftUI
  • Xcode
  • API integration
Product Design

UI / UX

Turning fuzzy ideas into clear flows, prototypes, and interfaces people can move through instinctively.

  • Figma
  • Interaction design
  • User flows
Web

Frontend Development

Shipping responsive, clean interfaces that respect spacing, typography, and performance.

  • HTML / CSS / JS
  • Responsive layouts
  • Component thinking
Visual

Graphic Design

Crafting visual systems, logos, and layouts that feel modern without being loud.

  • Illustrator
  • Photoshop
  • Brand visuals
Brand & Growth

Social & Positioning

Helping products show up clearly online – consistent story, consistent visuals, consistent output.

  • Content strategy
  • Brand tone
  • Analytics
Expanding

Android & Kotlin

Bringing Goalsreach and future tools to Android, keeping experience aligned across platforms.

  • Kotlin basics
  • Android UI patterns
  • Cross-platform thinking
Content

Video Editing

Producing clean, to-the-point edits that support the product narrative rather than distract from it.

  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Short-form content
  • CapCut
Exploration

Prototyping & Mockups

Quickly testing ideas as interactive prototypes so decisions are made on behaviour, not imagination.

  • Figma prototypes
  • InVision
  • Interaction flows
Reality Check

User Testing

Getting honest feedback early and using it to remove friction instead of defending ego.

  • Usability sessions
  • Feedback synthesis
  • Iteration cycles

Projects

A mix of shipped products and concept work – all centred around building clear, honest tools that people actually keep using.

Goalsreach App Cover
Live · iOS App

Goalsreach

iOS Development · Product Design

A self-built productivity app that turns goals into clear, trackable commitments. Goalsreach uses points, streaks, and simple visuals to reward consistency instead of short bursts of motivation.

Designed and developed end-to-end in Swift / SwiftUI – from flows and visuals to App Store deployment and ongoing iteration.

BrandCore App Cover
In Build · AI Product

BrandCore

iOS Development · AI Product Design

An AI-powered branding tool that gives early founders a sharper starting point – brand direction, tone, and first product angles generated into something usable, not just a wall of ideas.

Built in SwiftUI with OpenAI integration, focusing on clean UI, predictable flows, and output that feels like a thoughtful partner rather than random noise.

MatchMinded App Cover
Concept · Compatibility Over Aesthetics Dating App

MatchMinded

UX / UI Design · Behaviour

A dating app concept centred on personality and long-term fit, using MBTI-style inputs and Likert-scale questions to drive more grounded matches.

Designed in Figma with full flows, micro-interactions, and gamified elements that push for honesty over pure swipe dopamine.

Bristol Bridge Club Website Redesign
Client · Restricted Web CMS

Bristol Bridge Club

UX / UI · Web Development

A full redesign for an established club with an older audience – improving readability, navigation, and trust while working inside a very restrictive Pianola CMS.

Included user research, wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, build-out, and a simple content strategy handover for the committee.

Campus Companion Cover Image
Concept · Student Engagement Social Media

Campus Companion

UX / UI Design · Product Thinking

A concept app for students trying to keep on top of deadlines, habits, and campus life – blending task management with the same momentum ideas behind Goalsreach.

Built as an interactive Figma prototype with detailed user flows, scenarios, and interface explorations for both day-to-day planning and long-term goals.

What I’m Working On

Right now I’m focused on building the kind of clear, honest digital tools I wish I’d had when I first started trying to get my life in order – products that remove friction, reward discipline, and make it easier to actually follow through.

In build · AI product

BrandCore – A head-start for new founders

BrandCore is my way of giving early founders a clearer starting line. It pulls together identity, messaging, and first product directions into something concrete they can move with, instead of vague ideas and scattered notes.

I’m tightening the flows, cutting the bloat, and making sure the output feels more like a thoughtful partner than a random AI brainstorm.

BrandCore preview
Live on iOS

Goalsreach – The accountability system I wanted at 18

Goalsreach started as a way to keep myself honest when motivation dipped. I’m now refining it into a product that genuinely helps people stack wins: cleaner UX, better feedback loops, and rewards that encourage consistency over dopamine spikes.

Current focus: smoothing onboarding, making streaks feel meaningful, and tightening the small details that make an app feel “kept” rather than abandoned.

Goalsreach preview
Engineering depth

Making progress social, not just personal

I’m building out the backend foundations for shared goals, small accountability groups, and lightweight social features – the kind of structure that makes it easier to show up because other people are counting on you too.

This is where I’m pushing deeper into Firebase, data modelling, and real-time sync that still feels simple and calm on the surface.

Platform reach

Bringing the same discipline tools to Android

Not everyone lives inside the Apple ecosystem, so I’m learning Kotlin to bring the same core principles of Goalsreach to Android – clear goals, honest tracking, and a sense that effort actually compounds.

The aim is parity without mindless cloning: each platform should feel native and considered, not like a port.

Kotlin Logo
Direction

Where I’m deliberately heading

Everything I’m building points in the same direction: fewer excuses, more agency, and tools that support people who are genuinely trying to get their life sorted.

  • Sharpening my iOS engineering so products ship faster and cleaner.
  • Turning BrandCore and Goalsreach into serious, revenue-backed products.
  • Working with people who value clear thinking, long-term focus, and real output.

Experience

My work sits where design, engineering, and momentum meet – building products that look clean, behave predictably, and actually get used.

Core Craft

iOS Developer

Designing and building Swift / SwiftUI apps with a focus on clarity, performance, and small interaction details that make the product feel “kept”.

  • End-to-end feature work: from sketches to App Store build.
  • Clean, testable architecture and predictable navigation flows.
  • Thoughtful use of animations and haptics to guide behaviour, not distract.
Product Design

UI / UX Designer

Turning loose ideas into structured flows, prototypes, and interfaces that people understand without needing a walkthrough.

  • Mapping user journeys and removing friction at key decision points.
  • High-fidelity Figma prototypes with interaction detail for engineers and stakeholders.
  • User testing and iteration with a bias towards simple solutions.
Web

Frontend Developer

Building responsive, modern interfaces for founders and clients who care about polish as much as function.

  • Implementing designs in clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Prioritising legibility, spacing, and motion that supports the content.
  • Working within constraints – CMSes, legacy layouts, and tight timelines.
Growth & Brand

Social / Brand Work

Helping small teams show up consistently online with clear positioning and simple, repeatable content.

  • Shaping brand tone and visual identity across platforms.
  • Planning content that supports product, not just vanity metrics.
  • Using analytics to tighten what actually moves the needle.
Work Ethic

Industrial & Hands-on Roles

Time in physical, high-effort environments that built discipline, resilience, and a bias towards getting on with it.

  • Long, demanding shifts – showing up whether it’s convenient or not.
  • Working in teams where reliability matters more than titles.
  • Carrying that mindset into how I approach engineering and product work.

About Me

Background

Design and engineering in one lane

I’m an iOS developer and product-focused designer with a First-Class Honours BSc in Digital Media from UWE Bristol. I like sitting in the overlap – where interaction design, code, and user reality all have to agree with each other.

Most of my work starts from the same question: “Would I actually use this if I wasn’t the one building it?”

Carter Manahan
Products

Building tools I wish I’d had earlier

Goalsreach is the discipline app I needed when I was trying to get my training, work, and life aligned. It rewards consistency over dopamine, turns goals into clear commitments, and helps people actually see their momentum.

BrandCore is built for early founders who don’t want to spend months guessing. It turns scattered ideas into brand foundations, messaging, and early product direction – something concrete they can ship from.

Product preview
How I work

Small feedback loops, serious intent

I prefer tight, honest loops: design → build → test → refine. No drama, no theatrics – just steady, compounding improvements until the product feels calm, sharp, and obvious to use.

I’m comfortable taking a feature from first sketch to shipped build, and I care a lot about the “edges” – empty states, error handling, and the way the product behaves when real people push it.

Carter working
Principles

Clarity, discipline, and long-term games

I care about tools that make people feel more in control of their time, their progress, and their direction. That shows up in how I train, how I work, and how I approach teams: clear expectations, direct communication, and a focus on long-term output over short flashes of motivation.

Contact

If you’re building something and want help shaping the product, sharpening the UX, or bringing an iOS experience to life, send a message below.