Hi, I’m Richard Warrender.
I’m a software developer specialising in iPhone apps, with over twenty years of experience turning complex ideas into simple, reliable products.
Apps | Flying | 3D Printing | Music | Writing
I started building for iPhone when the platform was still young, and since then I’ve worked across a wide range of apps and industries, from early prototypes through to polished production releases. I’m comfortable moving between product thinking, technical architecture, UI details, legacy Objective-C, modern Swift, and the practical realities of shipping software that people actually use.
What I enjoy most is the craft of building: taking something vague, messy, or ambitious and shaping it into something clear, useful, and robust.
iPhone Development
My core expertise is iOS development, particularly Swift and Objective-C. I’ve worked on apps across sectors including healthcare, finance, gaming, and communications, and I bring a broad understanding of the full development process: from early concept and technical discovery through to launch, maintenance, and iteration.
I care about software that feels considered. Good architecture matters, but so does the small detail: the interaction that feels right, the error state that helps get the user back on track, the codebase that another developer can pick up without quietly cursing your name.
Flying
Away from the screen, I’m a licensed private pilot. I fly light aircraft such as the Piper Super Cub and the Diamond Katana DA-20, usually from local aerodromes in the South East of England.
Flying is one of those rare pursuits that combines technical knowledge, discipline, instinct, and wonder. You can spend an hour planning a flight, checking weather, thinking through risks – and then suddenly you’re above the landscape, watching the light shift over fields, towns, rivers, and clouds. My Instagram has quite a few aerial photos you might like to check out.
It is a challenge that keeps me sharp. It also reminds me that good judgement matters as much as technical skill.
3D Printing and Building Things
I’m also drawn to physical making: 3D printing, electronics, prototypes, and small practical projects. I enjoy designing parts, solving hands-on problems, and seeing an idea move from sketch to object.
There’s something deeply satisfying about connecting the digital and physical worlds – writing code, printing a component, wiring a circuit, testing it, breaking it, improving it, and slowly bringing an idea to life.
Music and Performance
One of the things that has surprised me in recent years is how much I enjoy singing and playing guitar, especially live.
There’s a different kind of focus that appears when you step onto a stage. You can practise the chords, learn the lyrics, think about technique – but at some point you have to let go and perform. When it clicks, it feels less like thinking and more like being fully present.
That feeling has become important to me. It is creative, slightly exposing, and alive in a way that balances the more technical parts of my life. Whether I’m playing at an open mic in the pub or working through a song at home, music reminds me that not everything worthwhile can be engineered into place. Some things have to be felt.
Writing
This blog is where I explore the things I’m learning and thinking about: software development, AI, product thinking, creativity, building things, and the occasional lesson from flying, making, or performing.
I write partly to clarify my own thoughts, but also in the hope that something here helps another developer, maker, pilot, musician, or curious person see a problem differently.
Get In Touch
Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn, or through my contact page. I’m always happy to hear from people who are building, learning, experimenting, or trying to make something useful.