RefRo: Why I Built My First App

So Why RefRo?

It started with a problem I have experienced countless times—and one I’ve watched happen to my students as well.

You’re researching a production and come across the perfect image. Maybe it’s a painting, a piece of architecture, a photograph, or a product you want to reference later. Weeks pass, someone asks where it came from, or you want to revisit it yourself, and suddenly it’s gone. You looked through hundreds of images while developing a concept, and now you can’t remember where that one image came from. You search for it again, only to discover the page has changed, the image has disappeared, or the website no longer exists.

Research on the web is temporary. Links break. Images move. Search results change.

I wanted a way to preserve not just the image, but the context surrounding it.

Research is often the first step in communication. Before we draft a line, build a model, or create a rendering, we’re gathering ideas, asking questions, and making connections. RefRo was designed to preserve that process by keeping your reference images alongside the information that made them valuable in the first place.

Because RefRo uses iCloud, your research library stays synchronized across your Apple devices while remaining part of your own personal workspace. Whether you’re researching at your desk, visiting a theatre, or walking through a museum, your archive is always with you.

From Browser Tabs to Design Decisions

Another problem I wanted to solve is something that happens almost every day during the design process.

I’ll find a product I know I want to use in a design, but I’m not ready to add it to my drafting yet. Instead, I leave the browser tab open for days—or sometimes weeks—hoping I remember why I saved it. Eventually I end up with dozens of tabs open and no clear system.

With RefRo, I can save that information immediately. The image, its source, product information, and notes stay together so I can return to them when I’m actually ready to make a design decision. Instead of searching through bookmarks, browser history, or open tabs, everything is organized in one place.

I also wanted those references to remain useful while I work. Images can be floated above other applications, making it easy to keep a visual reference nearby while drafting, rendering, or modeling without constantly switching between windows.

Mood Boards Without the Busy Work

Creating mood boards has always been an important part of my design process.

There are already some excellent presentation tools available, but many of them are designed to do everything. During the early stages of design, I usually don’t need every possible feature—I simply want to communicate an idea clearly and quickly.

I’ve always appreciated a clean image grid. RefRo can automatically generate organized layouts that can then be adjusted and customized as needed. The goal isn’t to replace presentation software, but to speed up one of the earliest stages of visual communication.

Just the Beginning

RefRo is the first application I’ve released, and it certainly won’t be the last.

I already have a growing roadmap of ideas that expand on the same philosophy: create thoughtful tools for designers, educators, and creative professionals. Future updates will continue to improve RefRo itself, while longer-term plans include a companion mobile application for capturing inspiration away from your desk and collaboration features that make it easier for creative teams to build research libraries together.

Technology will never replace good design, but it can remove unnecessary friction from the creative process. If I can save another designer a few hours of searching, help a student stay organized, or make research feel a little less overwhelming, then RefRo has done exactly what I hoped it would do.

Thank you for following along on this journey. I’m excited to finally share RefRo with you, and I look forward to seeing where it goes next.