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Mainsail WorksOpen to projects

Software small enough to care about.

Mainsail Works is the independent practice of Matt Howe. I design and build products end to end - my own, and a small number for other people.

Practice
Independent · one person
Focus
Product design & full-stack engineering
Status
Open to select projects

Things I've made

Own products · 02

01 / Beta

Patch Quest

An eye-patching app that turns daily treatment into a heroic quest - kids earn the reward you set as they hit their patching goals.

Explore the concept

Where it's up to

  1. Sketch
  2. Building
  3. BetaNow
  4. Shipping

02 / Shipping

Hidden Australia

A field guide to the country's best local cafes, stays, wineries, national parks and hidden gems - over 25,000 spots across every state and territory.

Explore the app

Where it's up to

  1. Sketch
  2. Building
  3. Beta
  4. ShippingNow

In the works

A few more small tools are taking shape. One useful idea at a time.

About

Built by one person, on purpose.

I design, build, and ship every product myself - which means fewer meetings, fewer handoffs, and a much shorter distance between an idea and something you can actually use.

Some of that work ships under the Mainsail Works name. The rest is done quietly for a few clients a year who want the same care applied to their own products - a fixed-scope build, a stretch of part-time engineering, or a close read of something that already exists.

Product design
Interface, interaction, and the words in between.
Full-stack engineering
The screen, the server, and the unglamorous parts that hold it together.
Mobile & web
Native where it earns its keep, web where it doesn't.
Systems that age well
Written to be read by whoever picks it up next.

Services

A few ways to work together.

  1. 01

    Product builds

    A focused app or feature, scoped and shipped end to end - from the first sketch to something real in people's hands.

    Good forFounders and small teams with a defined idea

  2. 02

    Part-time engineering

    Ongoing senior help on a set number of days a month, for teams who need steady hands without committing to a full-time hire.

    Good forTeams between hires, or without a senior lead

  3. 03

    Audits & second opinions

    A close look at an existing product or codebase, with clear, honest notes on what to fix first and why.

    Good forAnyone inheriting something they didn't write

Something else in mind? Tell me about it ↗