About Me
Hi, I’m Rafael Schmitt, a senior iOS engineer based in Brazil 🇧🇷.
I work primarily with Swift and SwiftUI, building scalable, user-facing applications with a strong emphasis on architecture, performance, and long-term maintainability. I care deeply about polished interfaces, thoughtful trade-offs, and shipping software that feels intentional. I also enjoy writing about what I learn along the way.
I’m open to relocating for the right opportunity.
I started this blog in late 2024 after realizing I had a point of view about software that I didn’t often see articulated, especially around craft, product thinking, and the realities of building and maintaining apps in production.
My relationship with technology goes back to the early 2000s, in my school’s computer lab filled with beige PCs. Linux experiments, browser games, and obsessively refreshing Harry Potter fan sites were my first glimpse into what computers could enable. When my family finally got a Windows 98 PC at home (still without internet) I spent hours recreating operating systems in PowerPoint, designing interfaces for systems that didn’t exist yet. In many ways, today’s work is a continuation of that curiosity, just with better tools.
I formally trained as an electronics technician and graduated in 2014, but quickly realized software was where I wanted to focus. I spent several years at a small software house in southern Brazil, working with Delphi, navigating Brazil’s complex tax rules, and designing interfaces and icons, including a company logo that’s still in use today. That experience shaped my appreciation for pragmatic solutions and visual clarity.
My long-standing interest in Apple’s ecosystem led me to iOS development in 2016, after buying a used 2012 Mac mini and teaching myself through books, documentation, and experimentation. By 2019, I landed my first mobile role as an iOS test automation engineer, where I developed a strong appreciation for BDD, testability, and clear specifications. In 2021, I transitioned into a full iOS developer role, driven by continuous self-study and the trust of a manager willing to invest in my growth.
In 2022, I launched Medo e Delírio, my first independent iOS app, born out of creative frustration and a desire to build something end to end. It became a long-term technical playground where I own everything from product decisions and iOS architecture to backend services and operations. One highlight is a custom content delivery system that serves around 5,000 monthly users for roughly five dollars a month, a project I’m particularly proud of for its simplicity and efficiency.
Later that year, I joined Poatek (now TELUS Digital), where I grew into my role as a Senior iOS Engineer. It was a formative period that strengthened my technical judgment, feature ownership, and collaboration skills alongside people who deeply value quality. In early 2026, ready for a new chapter, I joined ArcTouch, a software consultancy known for its strong focus on craft, engineering excellence, and building meaningful products.
Software, to me, is a form of creation and human expression. This blog is a place where I try to make sense of what I’m learning, share perspectives, and hopefully spark something useful in others along the way.