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Roxily

Roxily helps couples and housemates share chores, schedules, reminders, and progress in one place. See what’s next, what’s done, and send a quick thanks when someone helps.

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Inspiration

I live with my girlfriend, and like many couples, we sometimes have friction over household chores. When work gets busy, I can also lose track of what needs to be done at home.

That made me wonder: could I build something that helps us handle these everyday frustrations before they turn into bigger arguments?

That idea became Roxily. I wanted to help partners share responsibilities more clearly, notice each other’s efforts, and say thank you more often. Because getting something done matters—but feeling appreciated for it matters too.

What it does

Roxily is a shared household activity app for couples who live together. Partners can create activities, assign them to themselves or each other, set schedules and reminders, and mark them as complete.

When someone creates an Activity, Roxily can let their partner know. At the scheduled time, it reminds the person responsible; if needed, their partner can send a gentle reminder too. Once the Activity is done, the other person gets an update and can respond with a quick thanks or a personal note. That thanks arrives as a notification in return.

This turns an everyday task into a conversation: one person takes care of something, the other notices, and both have a reason to open Roxily again. Even taking out the trash can become a chance to say, “I noticed. Thank you.”

In Roxily’s Journey tab, partners can look back at a summary of the week, see trends in how work has been shared, and stay in touch without waiting until something goes wrong.

The goal is simple: less reminding, less guessing, less friction, and more appreciation.

How we built it

I built Roxily with Expo and React Native, and integrated OneSignal for push, in-app messages, email, and Journeys. Roxily supports more than 28 languages, and its push notifications, in-app messages, and emails are localized to each recipient’s language.

OneSignal carries that everyday conversation between partners, from the first Activity notification to the reminder, completion update, and thank-you. It also powers in-app celebrations and gentle follow-ups. Three Journeys help couples connect their Space, create their first shared Activity, and revisit what they accomplished together. Email offers another way to invite people back over time.

I wanted that communication to be part of the product from the beginning. Completing an activity shouldn’t be the end of the interaction; it can also be the start of a small moment of connection.

I also used AI to help create Roxily’s mascot, then spent considerable time refining its visual style and consistency across illustrations, expressions, and different parts of the app. The mascot helps give an everyday household tool a warmer, more playful personality.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was keeping the mascot consistent. Creating an appealing individual illustration was only the beginning. Making the character feel recognizable across different expressions and situations required repeated refinement.

The first version of Roxily had no way to say thanks. Something felt missing. Later I thought about how we already thank each other out loud for ordinary work at home, so I added quick thanks and a short written note. When you cannot say it face to face, a thank-you that arrives from your partner through the app can still mean as much.

Another ongoing challenge is reaching the people who might find Roxily useful. Building the app and explaining why someone would want it are different kinds of work.

I am experimenting with organic content across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook to learn which stories and formats resonate with couples.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I’m proud of turning a frustration from my own life into a working product that brings together shared activities, timely updates, and small expressions of appreciation.

The part that means the most to me is what happens after an activity is completed. Someone’s effort becomes visible, and their partner has an opportunity to acknowledge it. At a milestone, Roxily prepares an in-app celebration for both partners, so each can share in the moment when they open the app.

Through the mascot, playful design, and ways to say thanks, I’ve tried to make routine responsibilities feel more personal and less tedious. If Roxily helps even a few couples replace a frustrated reminder with a sincere thank-you, that would mean a lot to me.

The thanks feature is the part I’m proudest of. It lets someone feel appreciated without making a big occasion of it, and brings a little warmth to an ordinary day.

What we learned

One of my biggest takeaways is that a product’s value comes from solving a problem people actually care about. Thoughtful design helps make that value easier to understand and experience.

I also learned how much personality matters. A household app deals with responsibilities, but it also sits close to people’s emotions and relationships. Its wording, illustrations, and interactions all shape how it feels to use.

Working on Roxily taught me to think beyond helping someone complete an activity. I also want to help the person doing it feel seen and appreciated. Features have to serve real life. Marketing has to keep up, and the thinking has to stay open. Localized campaigns matter too—especially around the holidays people actually celebrate where they live.

What's next for Roxily

The next step is to keep listening: observe how people use Roxily, collect feedback, and improve the experience around their everyday routines. I want to understand which reminders are helpful, what makes shared activities easier to manage, and which moments encourage partners to express appreciation.

Next I want to make it easier for couples to build shared routines and create more moments of celebration that feel relevant to where they live.

Alongside product improvements, I’ll continue exploring organic content and paid advertising, testing different channels, messages, and creative formats. The long-term goal is to make Roxily a simple, meaningful part of life together—helping partners share the work and remember to thank each other along the way.

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