Apptisan #040 - SunAlly
For our 40th edition, we feature Shawn, the creator of SunAlly, a former B2B product veteran with a decade of experience at companies like NetEase and ByteDance who recently pivoted to B2C development
Name: SunAlly
Developer / Team: Free Notes
Platforms: iOS, watchOS
Read this newsletter issue in Chinese (中文) .
Please describe your product.
SunAlly is your smart guide to Vitamin D estimation and safe sun exposure – think of it as your personal sunbathing assistant.
It’s an app designed to help you make the most of the sun safely. By leveraging the light sensor on your Apple Watch, SunAlly tracks your daily sun exposure time. It combines this data with the local UV index to provide tailored protection advice and recommends the best times for outdoor activities, ensuring you can enjoy the outdoors healthily and safely.
Beyond just tracking sun time, the app uses an algorithm that considers factors like sun duration, time of day, UV levels, temperature, and the amount of skin you have exposed to estimate the Vitamin D your body synthesizes from sunlight. This makes it an excellent tool for anyone focused on their health or needing to monitor their Vitamin D intake.
Was there a pivotal moment that inspired your product’s creation?
A few years ago, I was under immense pressure at work and found myself constantly feeling low, drained, and stuck in a rut. My doctor suggested I might have mild depression and recommended spending more time outdoors, soaking up the sun. Following that advice, I started spending my weekends visiting parks, mountains, and botanical gardens, letting myself “photosynthesize” in the sunlight.
I often used the Apple Watch feature that records “Time in Daylight” during my outdoor excursions. As I spent more time outside, I noticed many people enjoy sunbathing for various reasons – some to lift their spirits, others for wellness practices, and some specifically to boost their Vitamin D levels. Gradually, the idea of creating a product to help people sunbathe better began to form.
However, I struggled to find the right angle during my research. The breakthrough came one day when I was taking my Vitamin D supplement at home. My partner remarked, “Doesn’t sun exposure help synthesize Vitamin D? With everyone so health-conscious now, why not approach it from that perspective?”
Bingo! It clicked. Since the watch could track sun exposure time, could I combine it with other factors to estimate Vitamin D synthesis for the user? While I knew there would be inherent uncertainties in the estimation, the trend and relative amount would still be valuable. More importantly, directly linking sunbathing to Vitamin D through clear visualizations could help people better understand this connection and gradually build a habit of getting healthy sun exposure outdoors.
Good visual design is a key highlight of SunAlly. What were some difficult design trade-offs you encountered?
One example involved some rather ambitious, dynamic visual effects we initially planned as a key feature. During development, we realized the technical implementation cost was too high, the results didn’t quite meet expectations, and it was significantly impacting our launch timeline. After careful consideration, we decided to shelve those specific designs for the time being and focus the launch on the core features we have now. That was one major design trade-off.
Additionally, throughout the design process, there are always elements that don’t perfectly match the initial vision. However, recognizing that shipping the product on schedule is often more critical than endlessly optimizing minor details, we tend to make a judgment call once a certain quality threshold is met.
What makes your product unique compared to others in the market?
There are many products on the market that can track sun exposure time, but we’re not just a simple re-skin of Apple Health data. We differentiate ourselves in two main ways:
First, we integrate sun exposure with UV awareness. While sunshine is beneficial, strong UV radiation can harm the skin. Therefore, we don’t just encourage users to get sun; we provide real-time UV index information, UV trend forecasts, and practical sun protection advice based on the current UV level. Our goal is to help people sunbathe scientifically and safely, allowing them to confidently enjoy every ray of sunshine.
Second, we deepen the connection between sunbathing and Vitamin D. Everyone knows sun exposure is good, but how much is needed daily? When is the best time? How can I plan it effectively for my health? We dug deeper. Since sunlight is a primary way the body synthesizes Vitamin D, we developed an algorithm that considers sun duration, time of day, UV index, temperature, and skin exposure area to estimate your daily Vitamin D production from the sun. Furthermore, we provide context based on recommendations from health authorities, such as the commonly cited guideline: “Adults under 50 are advised to get 600-800 IU of Vitamin D daily.”
Now, users have a clear benchmark. By following our recommendations for sun exposure timing and tracking their estimated Vitamin D intake towards their daily goal, they can feel confident they’ve had a “health-filled” day.
To sum up: we’re not just putting a new face on Apple Health data. We offer a more scientific approach by incorporating UV awareness and a more professional one by intelligently estimating Vitamin D synthesis. This unique integration of sun exposure, UV safety, and Vitamin D estimation – connecting these three elements seamlessly – is, we believe, a pioneering and entirely original concept in the industry.
How have you marketed your product, and what key lessons have you learned?
Currently, we’ve primarily experimented with Rednote and collaborations with offline communities. We found that the user base on Rednote aligns very well with our target audience, driving significant user acquisition for us.
Offline community partnerships have proven more challenging due to higher uncertainty. A common issue is that potential users get excited about the product during presentations, but if they don’t own an Apple Watch or use an iPhone, they can’t adopt it, which creates a barrier.
Looking ahead, we plan to continue focusing on Rednote as our primary promotion channel, potentially collaborating with some relevant media platforms or influencers. Our current focus is the Chinese market, but we intend to gradually expand globally.
What has been some memorable feedback since your product’s release?
When we first announced SunAlly, a user left a comment saying, “This app makes me want to buy an Apple Watch!” I initially thought they might be joking, but that evening, they actually went home after work and ordered one immediately! Honestly, that level of enthusiasm and support genuinely blew me away.
Truth be told, when I first settled on the direction for SunAlly, I had significant doubts. I’d be writing product specs during the day, and at night, I’d question myself: Does anyone actually need this? Do people really care that much about Vitamin D?
With these questions in mind, I talked to a group of friends about their views on sunbathing. Most expressed some interest and mentioned concerns about sun protection, but I didn’t see that spark in their eyes – that eagerness to have the product right away.
Then, I tentatively brought up “Vitamin D.” Friend A said, “Huh? That’s interesting! It sounds fun just hearing about it.” Friend B chimed in, “Yes! I take Vitamin D supplements daily; this is super important to me.” Friend C exclaimed, “Wow, you can do that? It sounds cool and incredibly practical. I’d definitely use it if you built it.’ Friend D added, “That’s a great point. Many of my younger friends, born ’95, are extremely health-conscious; I think they’d love it.” And so on...
So, the feedback from my friends during development was crucial; they helped me find the right direction. Later, when the product entered beta testing, several users told us they bought an Apple Watch specifically because of our app. I was incredibly flattered and humbled – it felt like confirmation that we had genuinely created something users value.
Are there any products out there that you feel deserve more recognition?
Waterllama, Somno, Grow, and Things 3.
I really admire apps that are “small yet beautifully focused” and dedicated to doing one thing exceptionally well. For example, Waterllama makes the simple act of drinking water fun and adorable – they’ve perfected it. I love the design of Somno – it’s simple, elegant, yet sophisticated, constantly refining its focus on sleep, and recently delving deeper into sleep quality assessment, which I appreciate.
Grow is a product I’ve used since its beta phase. It helped me build an exercise habit, and it has been a significant source of inspiration for my own product. Allen, the founder of Grow, is a friend, and I’m grateful for the immense help and inspiration he has provided.
Besides other apps, where do you usually draw inspiration from? Any particular websites, books, or podcasts that help spark ideas?
I get inspiration from scrolling through Twitter, reading blogs, and studying the products of other indie developers. When I have an idea, I also search relevant keywords on platforms like Rednote and Reddit to gauge market demand.
I don’t rely on specific websites or books, but I listen to a wide variety of podcasts without a particular agenda. I also actively engage in different hobbies and make an effort to meet diverse people. These experiences and conversations often spark unexpected ideas. Ultimately, I think it’s about maintaining a mindset of observing the world and identifying problems – staying curious.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you envision for the future.
I’m the founder of SunAlly. I have about ten years of experience in B2B product management, primarily in the SaaS field. I started my career at the CRM startup Neocrm and later worked at NetEase and ByteDance, always focusing on B2B products.
However, after about a decade in B2B, I started feeling a bit weary and somewhat disillusioned with the prospects of the industry in China. So, starting in 2024, I decided to step out and pivot to the B2C space to build products I’m passionate about.
I don’t really call what I’m doing a “startup”; it’s more of a “small business.” From day one, the goal has been self-sufficiency, focusing on creating products that I genuinely like and that truly help users. I’m not aiming for massive scale. International expansion is a definite goal – I want to go global. My ideal situation is to eventually be able to live anywhere in the world and still encounter users of my products wherever I am.
After a decade in B2B, what was the most challenging mindset shift moving into B2C? How did you adapt?
The toughest transition was probably shifting from relying heavily on deduction and data analysis to determine needs, to cultivating an awareness of potential user needs through genuine experience, interaction, and experimentation. My guiding principle now is that for any B2C product I build, I must be a user myself – specifically, a core, in-depth user. Only then can I truly empathize with what users might need.
The adaptation process turned out to be smoother than I anticipated. My past experience always involved getting back to the fundamental source of a problem; now, I’m essentially taking that same path but using different methods. I actively try to adopt a “beginner’s mindset” to observe the domain’s challenges and then map out the complete user journey.
I believe that if you, as a user, return to the absolute origin of the problem and genuinely engage with it – feel it, experience it – solutions often emerge naturally. If you truly love the subject matter (like sunbathing, in this case), you’ll naturally be passionate about finding ways to solve the problems within it.
About Apptisan
Apptisan is a portmanteau of “application” and “artisan”, signifying “a weekly exploration into the world of apps and the passionate artisans who create them.” Each issue is a conversation with global creators, aiming to uncover and present intriguing products to a wider audience.
For those who prefer Chinese, you can subscribe via Quail. Creators interested in featuring their products are encouraged to submit them through our form, and we’ll be in touch promptly.
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