The studio
One person, deliberately.
I’m Austin Harman. I build software end-to-end — design, backend, mobile, infrastructure, copy. I spent years working on other people’s products at every layer of the stack, and this studio exists so that work can compound into a portfolio of small, honest tools instead of disappearing into one company’s roadmap.
Everything here is shipped. Nothing’s a mockup. Each product has its own brand, its own support inbox, and its own monetisation — typically a small subscription or a one-time fee, never ads, never surveillance. Code lives in the open where it can.
Based in Pennsylvania. Available roughly four months a year for paid studio work — fixed-fee, 4–12 week scopes, with a working prototype by the end of week two or the engagement ends.
- Stack I reach for: Flask + Postgres + SQLAlchemy on the backend; SwiftUI on iOS; Compose on Android; vanilla HTML/CSS where possible. JUCE/C++ for audio. ESP32 + NimBLE for hardware.
- What I don’t do: ad-supported business models, social-media-style engagement loops, dark patterns, racing competitors with VC money.
- Who I work with: founders with a real problem and a usable budget. Studios that need a senior who can ship without management overhead. Established companies starting a side-bet they want to keep small.
Austin Harman
Founder · Designer · Engineer
Email
hello@austinharmandesigns.com
Sales
sales@thepenn.group
Location
Pennsylvania, US
Status
Open to engagements
Studio engagements
How working together actually goes.
01
Brief + fixed quote
You send the problem in plain English. I send back a 1-page scope, a fixed fee, and an end date. No retainers, no hourly billing.
02
Prototype in 14 days
By the end of week two there’s something deployed you can poke at on a real device. If we’re not aligned, the engagement ends here with no further obligation.
03
Ship
Iterate until it’s launched. Includes the App Store / Play Console / hosting setup, the contact-form email plumbing, the docs your team will need to take over.
04
Handoff
30-day support window, then code + infra + accounts transfer to you. Available afterwards for paid retainers, but no part of the deal locks you in.