Designing an iOS Experience, Not Just a Port

On the podcast, I sit down with Pol and Hidde to discuss the frustrations developers face with App Store Connect, how they turned their own pain points into Helm, and why automating app launches and translations has become a game-changer for indie developers.

Top Takeaways:

💡 Build for the pain, not the platform
Helm wasn’t born out of a market analysis — it came from frustration with App Store Connect. By starting with their own workflow pain points, they built something instantly useful to the exact audience they belong to: app developers. Real problems create real product-market fit.

🎯 Focus beats feature parity
Instead of cloning App Store Connect, Helm rebuilds only the parts developers hate — and makes them effortless. That means obsessing over friction points like AI-powered translations and fast TestFlight access. By doing less, but doing it brilliantly, they turn a clunky chore into a tool devs love.

🌱 Delight is the best growth strategy
Helm’s growth didn’t come from paid ads or clever SEO. It came from users who felt seen. When a dev complains about App Store Connect on X, someone else inevitably replies: “Just use Helm.” That kind of advocacy only happens when your product delights the right people.

👕 Marketing is memory-making
Sponsoring an amateur football team named “Swift” wasn’t about CAC. It was about building brand lore. Great indie products often grow by being fun, weird, and memorable. In a world of optimized funnels, personality is differentiation.

📱 Mobile is a chance to surprise
When bringing Helm to iOS, they didn’t just shrink the desktop app, they leaned into what mobile does best. Helm Passport, an App Clip-powered networking feature, added a playful, real-world twist that got people talking (and sharing). Great mobile UX doesn’t just port — it reinvents.

🤝Shared ownership beats rigid roles
Although both co-founders have different backgrounds, they don’t strictly divide design and engineering. Both touch the whole product, jump in where needed, and stay deeply familiar with the codebase. That overlap keeps the team fast, resilient, and aligned.

About Hidde and Pol:  

🚀 Co-Founders of Helm

📱 Hidde van de Ploeg is a designer-turned-developer and co-founder of Helm, an app that simplifies the App Store Connect experience. With a background in design and indie app development, Hidde has worked on several successful projects before launching Helm, which has quickly gained a loyal following among developers.

👋 LinkedIn

👨‍💻 Pol Piella is a software engineer and the co-founder of Helm. Originally from Barcelona, Pol has a background in electronic engineering and iOS development. He co-created Helm to address the pain points developers face when working with App Store Connect, aiming to provide a seamless, efficient solution.

👋 LinkedIn

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Episode Highlights: 

[0:00] Helm’s promotion by users instead of creators

[0:19] Introduction of Pol Piella and Hidde van de Ploeg

[1:27] Pol's elevator pitch of Helm

[3:09] Pol and Hidde's background and their collaboration

[5:47] The idea behind Helm and the App Store Connect frustration

[9:36] Challenges with the App Store Connect API

[12:07] Helm’s compliance with Apple and review process delays

[16:09] How WWDC helped get the app approved

[18:11] The launch of Helm and user-driven promotion

[20:42] Fun marketing strategy: sponsoring a football team

[23:54] Reinvesting profits into AI features and marketing

[25:20] Low churn rate and stable growth

[28:06] Key features making Helm valuable for developers

[30:59] The iOS version of Helm and its impact on user engagement

[33:27] The "Helm Passport" feature for conferences

[35:15] Helm’s development in SwiftUI

[39:00] Collaboration and overcoming challenges in SwiftUI

[41:11] Teamwork dynamic between Pol and Hidde

[44:06] Improving customer support with Harbor tool

[45:44] Harbor’s potential as a future SaaS product

[47:12] Growth and long-term focus of Helm

[50:30] Helm’s vision for quality and user feedback

[52:25] Future plans and expansions for Helm