Built with FlutterFlow
Still | Meditation & Breathwork App
Gokul Shivappa
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Posted May 22, 2025
Developed a meditation app for Still using FlutterFlow in 7-10 days.
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9
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Timeline
Nov 15, 2023 - Apr 30, 2024
Still - Meditation & Breathwork App
Still App and & Admin Panel Overview with Still Founder
Overview
Still is a gamified meditation and breathwork platform designed to help users build consistent pranayam habits through daily practice, streak tracking, and personalized guidance. The app brings yoga, meditation, and breathwork teachings to a global audience with real-time founder support, timezone-aware personalization, and discipline-driven progression systems.
🔗 Live Application: app.still.ag
Progressive Web App (PWA) optimized for mobile devices
The Challenge
What the Founder Needed
Scale teachings globally without physical location or time zone constraints
Build user discipline through habit formation and streak mechanics
Provide personalized experiences for users across different time zones and practice levels
Maintain direct connection with students through real-time communication
Independent content management as a non-technical founder on a bootstrap budget
The Solution: Rapid Prototyping to Production
Phase 1: Weekend MVP (2.5 Days)
Strategic Approach: Prove core functionality before investing in custom design
What Was Built:
Phone authentication with global country code support
User onboarding with timezone selection for personalized experiences
Basic dashboard with daily practice tracking
Razorpay payment integration
Gamification logic with streak tracking and level progression
Cloud functions for discipline enforcement (automatic reset logic for missed days)
Demo: Still App MVP
Key Decision: Leveraged FlutterFlow's pre-built templates and widgets for authentication pages, profile screens, and core UI components to achieve rapid development without custom design work.
Result: A fully functional prototype in one weekend gave the founder confidence to invest in professional design and full-scale development.
Phase 2: Production App (1 Additional Week)
What Was Enhanced:
Professional UI/UX redesign with custom Figma designs
Enhanced onboarding with yoga psychology integration (5 mental states assessment)
Custom widgets for improved visual feedback and animations
Multi-channel notification system (push notifications + WhatsApp reminders)
Expanded real-time chat functionality
Performance optimizations for zero-lag experience
Complete admin panel for independent content management
Technical Stats:
21 custom functions
8 custom widgets
22 custom actions
5 WhatsApp notification templates (status-based triggers)
Product Functionality
Authentication & Onboarding
Phone authentication with country code search and OTP verification
Timezone selection for personalized scheduling
State of mind assessment based on yoga psychology (5 mental states)
Value proposition carousel showcasing app benefits
Custom notification scheduling for practice reminders
Daily Practice System
Single daily practice assignment (video-based guided sessions)
Completion tracking with visual feedback and progress indicators
Celebration screens after session completion to reinforce positive behavior
Content rotation based on user level and progress
Gamification & Discipline Engine
Level-based progression system that advances users through practice milestones
Streak tracking with visual indicators to build consistency
Automatic reset to Day 1 if users miss 2-3 consecutive days (customer feedback-driven)
Freeze functionality allowing users to pause their journey for planned breaks
Daily content rotation keeping users engaged and challenged
Real-Time Support Chat
Custom-built in-app chat (no third-party SDKs)
Direct connection between users and founder
Real-time messaging without page refresh
Seamless integration into main app flow for immediate support
Media Experience
Custom audio player with progress tracking for guided meditations
Video player with thumbnail support for pranayam demonstrations
Optimized media delivery for smooth playback across devices
Daily Doses
Quick access breathing exercises for different moments throughout the day
No prerequisites - use anytime without affecting main journey progress
Familiar audio patterns that help alter mind states through repetition
Sleep sessions for relaxation and unwinding
Flexible practice options for busy schedules
User Profile & Settings
Practice history and statistics showing journey progress
Streak management with freeze options
Notification preferences with timezone awareness
Payment and subscription management via Razorpay
Technical Architecture
Tech Stack
Component Technology Platform FlutterFlow (no-code/low-code) Database Firebase Firestore Authentication Firebase Auth (phone number) Backend Logic Firebase Cloud Functions Payments Razorpay Notifications Firebase Cloud Messaging + Gupshup WhatsApp API Hosting FlutterFlow infrastructure Deployment Progressive Web App (PWA) with iOS/Android capability
Scalability-First Backend Design
The entire backend was architected with future growth in mind:
1. Database Structure
Optimized schema designed for thousands of concurrent users
User profiles with timezone and preference data
Practice session records with completion timestamps
Streak tracking with freeze status flags
Level progression history
Chat message storage with read status
Content library for daily practices
2. Cloud Functions (Heavy Lifting Server-Side)
Daily level progression checks practice completion and automatically updates user levels
Streak management with automated tracking of consecutive days (timezone-aware calculations)
Discipline reset logic identifies users who missed practice windows and resets progress
Freeze system prevents automatic resets during planned breaks
Content rotation assigns daily practices based on user level and progress
Real-time chat sync handles message delivery and read receipts
Payment webhook handling for subscription management
3. Real-Time Updates
Efficient data sync without polling or excessive API calls
Minimal local state storage to prevent app lag
Client app remains lightweight—all complex logic runs server-side
4. Memory Management
Zero-lag user experience even at scale
App only handles UI—heavy lifting happens in the cloud
Custom FlutterFlow Components
Custom carousel widget for onboarding flow
Progress indicator visualizations with circular animations
Animated celebration screens
Timezone selector with search functionality
Chat interface with real-time updates
Audio/video player controls with custom playback logic
Admin Panel
Content Management:
Video upload and organization
Audio session management
Daily practice assignment scheduling
Content library categorization
Independent content updates without developer dependency
User Support:
Real-time chat interface
User progress monitoring
Subscription and payment oversight
User engagement metrics
Key Benefit: Founder can independently manage content and support users without technical team intervention—eliminating ongoing developer costs.
Technical Highlights
1. Weekend to Production in One Week
What typically takes months with traditional development was achieved in 2.5 days for a working prototype and one additional week for the production-ready version. This wasn't just rapid prototyping—it was a fully functional app with complex gamification logic, real-time chat, and payment integration that validated the business model before significant investment.
2. Cloud-First Architecture for Zero Lag
By moving all complex logic to cloud functions, the client app remains lightweight and responsive. Discipline reset logic, streak calculations, level progressions, and content rotation happen server-side, ensuring users never experience lag even as the user base scales. The app feels instant because it only handles UI—the heavy lifting happens in the cloud.
3. Timezone-Aware Personalization at Scale
Users across global time zones receive practice reminders at their local optimal times, streak calculations respect their actual days (not UTC), and discipline resets trigger based on individual timezone contexts. This level of personalization typically requires complex backend scheduling—FlutterFlow's cloud functions made it straightforward to implement.
4. Real-Time Chat Without Third-Party Dependencies
Instead of integrating expensive chat SDKs (which typically cost $50-500/month), a custom chat system was built using FlutterFlow's real-time capabilities and cloud functions. This provides the founder direct access to users, maintains data ownership, and eliminates recurring third-party service costs—critical for a bootstrap startup.
5. Template-Powered Rapid Development
Version 1 leveraged FlutterFlow's pre-built authentication, profile, and payment templates to prove viability in one weekend. This template-first approach validated the business model before investing in custom design, reducing risk and enabling the founder to make confident decisions about full-scale development.
Results & Impact
Development Speed
Metric Result Version 1 (MVP) 2.5 days (weekend prototype) Version 2 (Production) 1 additional week Total time from concept to launch ~10 days vs. 6 months of failed attempts Speed improvement 95% faster than traditional development
Business Transformation
✅ Solo founder went from doubting feasibility to having a production app
✅ Bootstrap-friendly development without VC funding or technical co-founder
✅ Independent content management without ongoing developer dependency
✅ Direct user communication through integrated chat support
✅ Global scalability with timezone-aware personalization
✅ Enabled sustainable revenue generation through Razorpay subscriptions
Technical Achievements
Custom cloud functions handling complex gamification logic
Real-time chat system built without third-party dependencies
Scalable database architecture designed for future growth
Zero-lag user experience through cloud-first design
Cross-platform deployment (iOS, Android, Web) from single codebase
100% feature completion in first release
Post-Launch Evolution (6 Months)
After the successful rapid launch, continuous support ensured product-market fit:
Ongoing Engagement:
Duration: 6-month retainer for optimization and growth
Focus: User onboarding, performance optimization, and feature refinement
Implemented: 20+ user-requested features based on real-world usage
Performance: Optimized app performance by 60%
Support Model: Weekly client consultations and daily support availability
Growth Metrics:
Successfully onboarded first 1,000+ users
Achieved 70% user retention rate
Maintained 99.9% uptime
Scaled infrastructure for growing user base without performance degradation
Key Takeaways for Bootstrap Founders
Speed & Validation
Template-first prototyping validates business models in days, not months—reducing risk and enabling confident investment decisions
Weekend MVPs can prove technical feasibility and business viability before significant budget commitment
Technical Architecture
Cloud functions enable complex business logic without sacrificing app performance or user experience
Cloud-first design ensures zero-lag experience even at scale by keeping client apps lightweight
Timezone awareness is essential for global wellness apps but doesn't require complex infrastructure when using the right tools
Cost Optimization
Real-time features can be built affordably without expensive third-party services when using the right platform
Custom chat systems eliminate recurring SaaS costs while maintaining data ownership
Template leverage reduces initial development costs while maintaining professional quality
Founder Independence
Non-technical founders can ship production apps when paired with the right tools and development partner
Independent content management empowers founders to iterate without developer dependency—critical for bootstrap sustainability
Admin panels eliminate ongoing developer costs for routine updates and user support
User Experience
Gamification logic (streaks, levels, resets) drives habit formation but must balance discipline with flexibility (freeze feature)
Direct user access through integrated chat builds community and provides invaluable product feedback
Timezone-aware personalization creates local experiences for global audiences
Scalability
Rapid iteration from MVP to polished product is possible when architecture is designed for scalability from day one
Database optimization and serverless functions enable growth without infrastructure rewrites
Deliverables
✅ Fully functional Progressive Web App (PWA) deployable to Android and iOS
✅ Admin dashboard web app for content management
✅ Cloud function suite for automation (21 custom functions)
✅ WhatsApp notification system (5 status-based templates via Gupshup)
✅ Real-time chat system (no third-party dependencies)
✅ Complete source code access
✅ Deployment and maintenance documentation
✅ 6-month post-launch support and optimization
This project demonstrates how modern no-code/low-code tools combined with strategic custom development can deliver enterprise-level applications at startup speed and bootstrap budget—empowering non-technical founders to compete globally without VC funding or technical co-founders.