Pocket Pitch
A tool for singers to play and identify musical pitches, for practice or performance. I am the owner of this app.
App Metrics
Unique Downloads
718,000+
Monthly Active Users
17,500+
Average Rating
4.5 Stars
User Reviews
1,300+
Origin
Yep, that’s me…in 2015 I create Pocket Pitch while working as a singer at Hershey Park in Hershey, PA. At the time, I regularly used a piano app to play and identify musical pitches for practice, but I wanted an app that loaded faster. Also, I honestly was looking for any excuse to make my own app.
I had been making websites and designing all sorts of stuff most of my life, but not yet an app!
MVP
The design was even simpler than the piano app I had been using before. It was one screen that replicated a pitch pipe, a simple reed instrument usually used by choirs.
Version 2: Adding a Keyboard
I pretty quickly wanted to keep tinkering with my app (it was getting more downloads than expected) and I added a keyboard (piano-ish) feature that I personally knew all singers with get use from.
Adding Blow Mode
There was no problem solving here, just fun experimenting. I wanted to try to replicate the use of an old fashioned pitch pipe that a singer would blow into (like a harmonica if you’re not familiar), and so I created a setting that let users do that. Users could tap to select a note and then it would play when the app detected the user blowing on/at the mic.
Version 3: Growth
I continued to update the UI a little, but my next major move was with growth. I was familiar with SEO, but not how that worked with Apps. Through a mix of research and brainstorming, I came up with some basic plans for AppStore SEO. A big part of this was prompting users for feedback and then redirecting the positive feedback to user reviews.
This all lead to an increase in usage by 300% in 24 months.
Version 4: Post UX Bootcamp updates
There was a lengthy hiatus before this next update (life happens), but after completing a UX Bootcamp I saw that I could continue to improve this app. If anything my design skills were just better and I wanted to redo the UI. Also, I was long overdue for adding a tuner feature that had been on my wishlist for awhile.
Broadway!
This was cool, and kind of a full circle moment for me. Roughly a year or two after reworking my UI to have a more polished and professional look, I was contacted by a Broadway show to become their official app for the remained of their production’s run.
Version 5: Current
The current version used the Design System I have outlined in its own case study.
What’s next for Pocket Pitch…
The next big feature will be scales for singers practicing and warming up. Along with that I will be attempting to crossover to Android (after many failed attempts). There’s still plenty of growth left with this app, and so I hope to continue to make it more and more useful to singers!