Mono | Devpost

Why We Built Mono

Most reminder apps feel like work. Too many buttons, too many menus, too much friction. We wanted something you could use without thinking—clean, fast, and actually enjoyable to interact with.

What It Actually Does

Mono is a reminders app that stays out of your way. Add a task in seconds, organize it how you like, and get back to your day.

The good stuff:

Fast capture — add reminders with natural typing (dates, tags, priorities all in one line)
Buttery smooth — 60fps animations, haptic feedback on every interaction, gestures that feel native
Actually beautiful — adaptive light/dark themes, thoughtful empty states, no clutter
Flexible organization — tags, custom lists, priorities, subtasks, recurring reminders
Stays in sync — real-time across all your devices

How We Made It

React Native + Expo for cross-platform. Convex for backend and sync. React Native Reanimated for the motion—that's where most of our time went.

The animations weren't easy. React Native can be janky. We moved everything to the native thread with Reanimated, fine-tuned spring physics (250-300ms is the sweet spot), and added haptics everywhere. The result feels like a system app, not a web view.

Design-wise, we obsessed over details:

Not pure black in dark mode (#1a1a1a—easier on the eyes)
Every button has a tactile response
Empty states with personality instead of "No items found"
Swipe gestures that peek color-coded actions as you go

What We Learned

Animation timing is everything. Too slow feels broken, too fast feels glitchy. Spring physics beat linear curves every time.
Haptics are invisible magic. Users said the app "just feels better"—it's the subtle vibrations they couldn't consciously notice.
Constraints breed simplicity. We cut labels, secondary dates, subtask priorities. Every feature had to earn its place.