About

About Synoptic Foundry

Welcome! Synoptic Foundry is the official name for my independent app development studio, and my mission is to make powerful AI genuinely useful for everyone.

The Problem: AI is Powerful, but Confusing

Have you ever felt lost in a modern AI chat, wondering what to ask? You know the wisdom is in there, but it's buried under "free-wheeling confusion" and the need to be an expert prompt engineer. You spend more time thinking how to ask than getting the help you need.

I'm building my apps to fix this.

My Solution: Guided AI Workflows

I've created a custom workflow engine that combines the best of both worlds: the power of AI-generated content with the clarity of human-designed guidance.

Instead of giving you a blank chat box, my apps guide you through a step-by-step process. This approach is designed to:

Cut down on confusion and help you hone in on what matters.
Uncover the valuable, niche "tips and tricks" you'd never find on your own.
Let you tap into the AI's wisdom without ever having to think about "prompts."

My Background & Philosophy

I'm a solo developer, certified cloud solutions architect, and AI specialist with over 10 years of experience building and automating systems for companies from startups to the Fortune 500.

After years of building complex corporate solutions, I'm now focused on this passion. My business model is simple: build a large, happy userbase.

That's why my apps are built to be as accessible as possible. Their core functionality is 100% free, and my current focus is on building a great user experience rather than running ads. I plan to add small, premium features in the future for users who love the app and want to support my work.

Past Projects

You can find some of my apps on the Projects page:

Navigating the U.S. healthcare system: Finding affordable services, understanding insurance, and making informed decisions.
BespokeTwin: Affordable photorealistic talking avatars with body lanugage, at a small fraction of the price of HeyGen, Veo, et al.
Starting a Business: Exploring ideas from pet sitting to 3D printing, complete with pros, cons, and common pitfalls.
Used Car Purchasing Guide: An app where virtual experts walk you through all aspects of finding and purchasing a good used car - including make/model-specific gotchas, negotiating tricks etc.

Note: Some of these did not find success on the app stores (< 5 installs), or received negative early feedback (AI avatars are not popular, especially when they are identifiable as such). I've pivoted to some new big projects that are still in flight... watch this site for things to come.

I welcome you trying my apps; with some positive reviews they might even gain some traction, which would be wonderful. At that point I would resume development on them (currently it's hard to "throw good time after bad" to further build out these early versions...)

Want to Help? Become a Tester

One of the most valuable things anyone can do for a solo developer is simply use the thing. If you've enjoyed any of these apps — or you're just curious — I would genuinely love to have you on as a volunteer tester.

And I mean low-commitment. You don't need to write a report or file formal bug tickets. Opening an app for a minute or two, clicking around, and telling me what felt confusing or where you got stuck is enormously helpful. A lot of the best improvements I've made came from watching someone use an app in a way I never anticipated. Fresh eyes catch things I've long since gone blind to.

If that sounds like something you'd be up for, here's how it works and how to join: Become a Tester. There's no obligation, you can opt out anytime, and you'll get early access to new features before anyone else.