Interview with Leonard Mehlig – CEO, Structured App [2022]

Thanks a lot for having me! I’m a student from Berlin and have developed iOS apps for over 6 years now. About two years ago I had the idea to build a simple day planner, without the complexity of a normal calendar app. I didn’t have any big expectations, but it worked out pretty well!!

I’ve learned a lot at every step and am so thankful for all the opportunities. I never had any formal qualifications when I started the job, therefore they always took a chance. My transition from a developer to a product manager was more my accident, but I liked it a lot.

I learned so much in that, that I later could apply when creating Structured. In the end, Structured was created out of the urge to still do some programming, which I missed a lot.

This varies a lot from person to person. Everyone has a list of things to do in their head. For some, it can be helpful to write those things down and think about when to do those. This helps to stay focused on one topic, as you don’t need to always think about what to do next. Also, you are less likely to run out of time or forget to eat and take breaks.

The most important thing is to stay focused on what matters. I get approached with lots of amazing ideas for features in the app, which I’d love to add. But since I’m working on the app alone, I really need to think about if it’s worth my time.

But also I need to make sure the app stays simple and easy to use. Just adding new functionality can easily result in a worse experience for most users.

I always try to be honest and not trick or deceive anyone. Many businesses focus too much on certain metrics (like revenue) and lose sight of the bigger picture. This might work in the short term but will also come back to bite you.

Before I start programming a new feature, I do a lot of designs in Figma. There I can test things very quickly and see if they might work. Other than that, I rely heavily on the feedback from users and use PostHog, as a privacy-friendly analytics tool, which gives me some insights into how the app is used, without revealing any private data of the users.

I also try to prioritize my personal time. Luckily, my work on Structured is very flexible. I’m not dependent on anyone else and can set my own hours. This helps a lot!

The best motivation is always hearing from people who use my app. Nothing gives me a greater motivation boost than someone from the other side of the world telling me that using my app has helped them.

The next step is to explore other platforms in the Apple ecosystem, so Apple Watch and macOS. A potential long-term goal is also Android and Web, but this is still very far out in the future.

That is very hard to say. I’m not a friend of thinking too far into the future, as so many things can change. Right now I’m very happy working on this app on my own, but I could also see this becoming a bigger company!