I design software by day and chase light above treeline by weekend.
I’m Rowan, a designer and developer in Bellingham, Washington. I run Switchback Studio, a two-person practice that builds tools for outdoor brands, parks groups and anyone who works where the signal drops. Most weekends I’m above treeline with a film camera.
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Designing for people who are offline on purpose
Trail crews, rangers and long-distance hikers do not want a better connection. They want software that never asks for one. Notes from two years of building Ridgeline, from the first field test with a trail crew to the sync model we shipped, and what we would change.
What a 35mm prime taught me about interface density
One focal length for a whole summer made me stop zooming and start walking. Fixed constraints do the same thing for a dense screen: fewer choices, closer looks, and a layout that earns every inch it keeps.
Shipping a map app that works above treeline
Vector tiles, a 40 MB budget and a battery that has to last four days. What we cut, what we kept, and the one test we run on every release before it goes anywhere near a trail.
My field kit for a week in the North Cascades
Two bodies, three lenses, eleven rolls, and the notebook I actually use. Everything weighed, with what I would leave home next time and the one thing I wished I had packed.
A darkroom in a closet, for $180
A blackout curtain, a used tank, three thrift-store trays and a fan from the hardware store. How I develop black and white film at home in a coat closet, and what I would buy first if I started again.