KlarityDisk

Hey IndieHackers!

I just shipped Klarity Disk to the Mac App Store lastweek. It's a disk analyzer, but the real story is the research rabbit hole I fell into.

The Product

Mac disk space analyzer with treemap/icicle visualizations instead of traditional sunburst charts.

Price: $4.99 (going to $6.99 March 31)

Model: One-time purchase, no subscription

Tech: SwiftUI + AppKit, native macOS 14+

Link: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/klarity-disk/id6758895498

# Why I Built It

I was frustrated switching between 3 apps whenever my 256GB Mac filled up:

1. DaisyDisk (find large files)

2. Activity Monitor (check what's running)

3. Finder (delete stuff)

Wanted everything integrated.

# The Research Detour

While building, I got obsessed with WHY sunburst charts (used by most disk analyzers) felt slow to scan.

Found Cleveland & McGill's 1984 research: humans judge LENGTH 40% more accurately than ANGLE.

Sunburst = angles + radius (cognitively demanding)

Treemap = rectangles (length comparisons)

Wrote a full analysis with citations: https://www.klaritydisk.com/blog/treemap-icicle-vs-sunburst

This became my differentiation: research-backed design vs "cheaper alternative."

##Technical Challenges

Glassmorphism on macOS 14:

Apple's .glassEffect() requires macOS 26 (unreleased). Had to reverse-engineer it with SwiftUI primitives.

Wrote about it: https://klaritydisk.com/blog/building-liquid-glass-ui-macos

App Sandbox:

Security-scoped bookmarks for file access. Documentation is sparse.

App Store rejections:

Rejected twice for hardcoded colors (dark/light mode issues). Fixed, but painful.

# Stats So Far

- 6 months development (solo, nights/weekends)

- ~40 hours/week

- First commercial Mac app

- Launched Feb, 2026

- Revenue: TBD (literally just launched)

##What I'm Struggling With

1. Marketing - I'm a developer, not a marketer. Posted to Reddit but hit self-promo rules everywhere.

2. SEO - Only 2 of 8 pages indexed by Google. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

3. Getting initial users - Beyond friends/family, how do you get those first 10-50 real customers?

4. Product Hunt timing - Should I launch now or wait? I have zero following.

# What I Learned

1. Research-backed design works - Having Cleveland & McGill citations gives credibility vs "I think this is better."

2. Writing matters - Technical blog posts helped me think through design decisions AND gave me marketing content.

3. App Store is picky - Dark/light mode support is non-negotiable. Test EVERYTHING.

4. Solo indie Mac dev is viable but slow - 6 months for v1 feels long, but I learned a ton.

# Questions for IH Community

1. How do you market Mac apps when Reddit bans self-promotion?

2. What's worked for you getting initial users?

3. Should I do Product Hunt now or build momentum first?

4. Am I overthinking the visualization science or is this a real differentiator?

Happy to answer questions about SwiftUI, Mac development, or the research process!

Promo codes available if anyone wants to test it and give honest feedback.