The Client
Sonnar is a Kiwi company that aims to support blind and low-vision people and organizations with software that truly enhances their life. They build everything from simple helper apps for libraries, through agentic systems for elderly care to games dedicated to low-vision audiences.
Some of their clients are:
- Blind Low Vision NZ
- Vision Australia
- and many, many others
The Brief
When I started, they were running separate apps for iOS, Android, Google Nest and Alexa — built independently, no shared code. Multiple codebases, multiple maintenance burdens, developers struggling with native languages that weren’t their background.
What I Built
The fix wasn’t more people. It was the right architecture for the team they had. Replaced native apps with React Native, built a shared core js library, replaced hand-rolled auth with Auth0. Wrote the backbone of the new app myself and integrated with their existing AWS and C# backend.
Results
Team capacity went up significantly. Not because they worked harder — because the stack finally matched the people.
All those years later, we still talk. Not about implementation — about direction. New project ideas, investment decisions, what’s worth building and what isn’t.
The hands-on work is done. What stayed is judgment.
Tech stack
Mobile — React Native, shared core JS library
Platforms — iOS, Android, Google Home, Amazon Alexa
Backend — C# (existing, integrated with)
Infra — AWS, GitHub Actiona
Integrations — Auth0