Greetings, everyone! I just wanted to share my project with the masses here on Thunkable and give a little background. I have been meaning to do this for a while, but it has been pretty busy and I have been feverishly working on updates to get ready for August/September when the aurora season kicks off again!
I currently live in Alaska and the winter months bring us the beauty of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. I first witnessed them in the early morning hours of December 24, 2020…and instantly fell in love with them. It is an addiction I just can’t get enough of. I went out late one night, with my wife, and sat around waiting for the lights to appear; they never did. I felt like I needed a better tool, so I developed my own data display. What was developed as a personal tool soon grew traction in a Facebook community and I was urged to develop an app to allow others to easily use this tool. And, that is how Amazing Aurora came to be.
The app started out as a local tool but I was urged to quickly make it a tool anyone could use, so it relies heavily on location information to provide users with information tailored specifically to where they may be trying to witness the aurora activity. I am hopeful this app will be a game-changer in the “aurora chase” community and allow so many others to see when the best chance is to see the northern lights!
Since the inception of the app in late February 2021, it has gone through many iterations and updates. I have a beta test community of two other users who have provided a wealth of feedback during the development process. That feedback, coupled with feedback from users after launch, has grown the app to where it is today, just 4 1/2 months from its launch on the Apple and Google stores.
I am currently working on version 4 of the app and anxiously awaiting the new features we will receive on the PRO side of the house on July 19th! I am eager to create my own custom splash screen and, hopefully, turn my user base into a support base with in-app purchases. Right now, the app is only supported with pretty low ad revenue. I am hoping to release version 4 by late August when the aurora season begins to ramp up again.
Thunkable has been a tremendous platform to develop on, even with the minor issues I have seen. There is absolutely NO way I could have developed both an Apple and Android app anywhere else in the short amount of time I was able to here on Thunkable. I am excited for the future of Thunkable and the possibilities I have to continue improving and expanding my app! And, hey, if you are anywhere near 60N latitude, give it a shot this winter and let me know what you think!
