Dennis
Gecaj

What led you into design?

I’ve always been fascinated by how everyday things work. As a kid, I remember being drawn to street signs of all things. I became obsessed with how a simple combination of colors, shapes, and typography could communicate the complexity of street rules. But what truly pulled me into design was technology, specifically, my very first iPhone, the 3GS.

The App Store had just launched, opening a magical new world where software was suddenly available to millions. The idea that anyone could build something and have it reach millions of people overnight was exciting.

I became obsessed with skeuomorphism, the way software mimicked the physical world. A Braun calculator with glossy plastic buttons, a yellow notepad with a brown leather strap… software back then was full of character. I spent weeks during high school recreating these designs and even taught myself Objective-C so I could run them on my phone.

During my first semester at university I launched my very first app, a travel planner of all things. I spent weeks perfecting torn-paper effects and leather textures. Ever since launching Tripnotes on the App Store, I haven’t stopped building software.

What does a typical day look like?

My day usually starts quite early, around 6 a.m. I used to be a night owl, but there’s something very calming about mornings. They give me time to enjoy my first cup of coffee, do some reading and plan my day.

Most of my work happens in Xcode and recently, more and more in Cursor. As a designer, I still use Figma from time to time, but solving problems directly in code is oftentimes the fastest way to build.

Weekdays are mostly heads-down work with a few calls, but weekends are different. Exploring a city that feels endlessly new gives me space to think, and that’s where most of my ideas come from.

What's your workstation setup?

Where do you go to get inspired?

I moved to NYC over three years ago and have done some of my best work here. Even my morning commute gives me inspiration. I recently realized that the color palette of one of my apps resembles the B train’s iconic orange and yellow seats.

But the weekends are when ideation truly happens. Whether it’s walking through Prospect Park, going to the Met or taking the ferry up the Hudson, New York is where I get most of my ideas from.

What product have you recently seen that made you think this is great design?

I use the Transit app most mornings. Not only is it the best-designed app for public transit, but the team recently launched a full redesign that made it even better. Transit has always been known for its location-based, real-time interface, essentially, their iconic colored list of transit lines.

With the redesign, they expanded that flexibility deeper into the lines themselves. A large horizontal list of times makes it easy to glance at upcoming trains. But where this interface truly shines is during trips: you’re no longer tied to one departure time. You can dynamically switch to different trains, and the entire trip updates instantly.

What pieces of work are you most proud of?

One of the most successful projects I’ve worked on was Camcord, a camera designed for video at a time when most camera apps were built for photos. The app launched to a camera that let you shoot horizontally. But instead of asking users to constantly rotate their phones, we found another way. We used the ultra-wide lens and crop into the viewfinder so people could record horizontal video while holding their phones vertically.

We launched Camcord as a social network … and it went viral! To date, it has amassed close to one million downloads on the App Store.

Another piece of software I’m incredibly proud of is Heartspring, essentially the first video journaling app on the App Store.

While still working on Camcord, I noticed some users were using it in an interesting way: video journaling. Writing a journal can feel cumbersome, and voice notes don’t quite resonate with a generation that grew up on Snapchat.

So I built Heartspring, using video journaling and creating an interface that offered the best of both worlds. Users could record square selfie videos while the remaining space displayed live transcriptions. The result combined the richness and familiarity of video with the convenience of text. Today, Heartspring has grown to over 125,000 users.

What design challenges do you face at your company?

Making any app sticky is an art. With Heartspring, we've already solved the first half of that equation. Users understand the simplicity and appeal of video journaling. That's the how.

The bigger challenge has been tackling the why. Why should people keep coming back beyond just creating digital mementos? To address this, we've moved into the mental health space, starting with AI-powered sentiment analysis.

We've recently taken it even further with Emotions, designed to unlock deeper awareness around emotional well-being. This release introduced emotion detection based on what users share in their journal. That's the foundation. The real value unlock, though, is longer-term emotional awareness, connecting emotional states over time, surfacing patterns, and building recognition around the triggers that shape how we feel. That's what turns journaling from a habit into a tool for genuine self-understanding.

What music do you listen to while designing?

Any advice for ambitious designers?

Like a famous designer once said: “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” I couldn’t agree more.

As a young designer, you should design anything you can get your hands on, nothing should be off limits. Early on, expose yourself to design that inspires you: apps you love using or software that makes you feel something. Simply start recreating it! The act of making, even if it means remaking something that already exists, will help you build the skill of creation and put your mind into that creative state.

Anything you want to promote or plug?

It feels a bit odd plugging my own product, but Heartspring is a great outlet to vent and track how you feel and with our recent release, it takes emotional self-awareness even further.

And for anyone building a company, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is a must-read. The sheer insight into the chaotic rollercoaster of building this business is mind-bogglingly unexpected, especially for a company like Nike.