Do you know a smart creative grrrl? Is it your daughter, niece, cousin, sister, friend, or even yourself? Do you want to see her become a confident and courageous innovator? Are you curious what happens when more people like her become future leaders of tech? Kindle curiosity and open the door to new possibilities with...


Appaloosa

The curious grrrl's kit for designing, coding, & questioning – while crafting mobile apps.




A recent study found college age women spend an average of 10 hours a day on their cell phones! But despite being avid consumers of tech, women make up only 30% of the computing workforce.

Don’t we want more women defining and creating the technology we use every day?

To do that we need to spark interest early on. It isn’t enough to just focus on programming skills. Make it relevant to our lives and diverse experiences. Dispel stereotypes about who works in tech. Connect with design, business, and real world issues. Appaloosa is an attempt to connect these dots, and get teens curious about inventing their future.


Demystify design.

  • Brainstorm new ideas and collect inspiration

  • Plan the blueprint for your app
  • Create icons and interfaces with Sketch

  • Prototype your app without having to write any code with Marvel

Crack the code.

  • Snap together blocks of code like Legos with MIT App Inventor

  • Troubleshoot to figure out what’s wrong

  • Create bite sized apps to understand basic programming concepts

  • Build a more complex app by breaking it into smaller chunks

Connect to real world issues.

  • Question how women are portrayed in films

  • Compare gendered messages in commercials



  • Look closer at how Photoshopped images affect body image



Discover new role models.

  • Challenged the status quo as designers and leaders

  • Overcame obstacles and mastered technical skills


  • Used technology to start businesses that help people

  • Come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds


What people are saying...

The profiles of real women in tech and their companies are so great.

"Your app handbook arrived today and it is SO AMAZING. I put everything back in the packaging after looking at it because it just looks too cool all together. I've only just skimmed the book and I've already learned a bunch of new things. So far the profiles of real women in tech and their companies are so great. I love the hipster/hacker/hustler descriptions and the steps for brainstorming. I'm likely to test out some of the UI/UX material for their final project this semester before I get to trying the programming tool itself, but I will keep you posted on both!"

Natalie Freed
Computing and Digital Fabrication Teacher
Lick-Wilmerding High School
San Francisco, CA

What's in the kit?


  • 128 page printed zine, limited edition print run of 250 copies
  • E-book PDF version of the zine, Creative Commons licensed to encourage remixing and sharing
  • Printable PDF of DIY cut out widgets, so you'll never run out
  • 4 sample Sketch project files to build upon
  • 22 sample App Inventor project files with assets
  • 25 video walkthroughs so you can follow along the tutorials
  • Prototapper Android app (beta) for quick prototyping
  • Mini booklet of DIY cutout widgets, for interface collages
  • Bonus: Pocket sized sketchbook for documenting all your great app ideas
, on the go
  • Bonus: Pixel dust and wiggle eyes for crafting extra special ideas


  • Bonus: One-on-one support, email me directly with any questions
  • FREE SHIPPING





Who made this?

Jayne Vidheecharoen is currently a lead UI / UX designer at ArcTouch where she crafts mobile apps for a wide range of clients, from small startups to large companies. In the past she’s worked on educational apps for kids, and mentored teen girls in media production & app design. She’s been designing things for screens for over a decade, but will always have a special place in her heart for zines.