Mobile App Project: N-Back
Overview
Restarting with Purpose: Building a Better N-Back Experience
After a long hiatus from app development, I found myself in familiar but uncertain territory: I knew I wanted to build, but I wasn’t sure what to build. I scanned the app store for inspiration, exploring products I admired, tools I missed, and ideas I could improve upon. Eventually, I landed on a deceptively simple, cognitively challenging game — the N-Back memory trainer.
For those unfamiliar, N-Back is a well-known tool for working memory training, with strong ties to research around fluid intelligence and focus. It’s also a niche enough idea to offer both creative freedom and technical depth — the kind of project that scratches both the engineering and neuroscience itches.
My goal was clear: create a freemium app that’s effective, engaging, and open-source.
Development Stack & Tools
Calling it a “process” might be a stretch — this was more of a tool-driven sprint. I built the app in React Native, starting with Expo before ejecting for greater control. Most of the work was done in VSCode with GitHub Copilot enabled, though I often switched to Cursor.ai’s IDE for code navigation and refactoring. Ironically, Copilot’s autocomplete became too aggressive (and occasionally incorrect), so I dialed it back to maintain clarity over convenience.
Why N-Back?
A mix of personal need and curiosity. I’ve long been fascinated by cognitive performance and neuroplasticity — particularly how working memory can be trained and its correlation with fluid intelligence. As an adult with ADHD, I often find my short-term recall scattered, noisy, and nonlinear. N-Back exercises had been a key part of my toolkit on Android — until I switched to iPhone and found the available alternatives either uninspired or too rigid.
I didn’t just want a replacement. I needed something better. Something with thoughtful UX, a bit of gamification, and enough flexibility to keep me — and others like me — engaged.
This is a first step. My hope is that others will not only use the app but also contribute ideas, code, and feedback. I’ll be sharing more soon about what’s next — including challenges I ran into with React Native animations, and why I’m experimenting with in-app adaptive difficulty.