Bria Sullivan on building an app people will actually use

Start with a reason to open it

Bria Sullivan makes small mobile experiences through Honey B Games. For Focus Friend, she and creator Hank Green settled on a focus timer: the job is to help someone put the phone down and stay with a task. The app gives that waiting time a character, a bean that knits as the session runs.

References: Honey B Games · Apple App Store

Sullivan told Apple that she researched how Green’s audience used timers, including for studying, work and chores. Those activities helped shape what the bean does. A timer could have been only a countdown; giving it a small companion offers something to return to after the work is done.

References: Apple App Store

Watch what happens after the release

In a 2026 interview Sullivan explains how the app reached its first audience. Green shared it with his community before a wider push, and people downloaded it and sent feedback. Some objected to the subscription and tracking. Sullivan says the team removed advertising tracking IDs after hearing those concerns.

References: RevenueCat

Her account is useful because the launch did not settle the design. A familiar creator could bring people to the app, but those people still had to like what happened after opening it. Sullivan describes learning from their reaction and adjusting the product. The Focus Friend FAQ answers questions about the subscription and features, giving readers another place to see the ongoing work.

References: RevenueCat · Focus Friend

Pulenaz tries the idea

Pulenaz chooses one small task: sorting photos on her computer for an album. She starts a focus session on her phone, puts it aside and returns when the session is over. Seeing the little bean at work makes the time feel like a contained interval rather than an instruction to finish every photo at once.

When the session ends, she has spent most of it opening folders and still has not chosen a photo. For the next session she opens the right folder first and sets a smaller goal: pick three pictures. This time she finishes the selection before the timer ends. Writing down the point where she got stuck helps her change the task she brings to the app.

For your own tiny app, pick an action someone can finish, such as choosing three photos for an album. Show a person the first screen and ask them to try it without instructions. If they pause, ask what they expected the next button to do. After you change that step, invite them back and see whether the task is easier.

Sources and attribution

1. Honey B Games

   About Honey B GamesPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 30, 2026

2. Apple App Store

   Bria Sullivan Spills the BeansPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 30, 2026

3. RevenueCat

   The Hail Mary pitch that launched a #1 App Store hitPublished May 6, 2026 · Recorded Oct 30, 2026

4. Focus Friend

   Frequently Asked QuestionsPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 30, 2026