I developed Spylock with the goal to enhance smartphone security by addressing the issue of shoulder surfing. The app was designed to lock user-selected apps on a phone, requiring users to enter a secure pin that could not be easily decoded by someone looking over their shoulder.
This project involved learning Android development, including mastering Kotlin, the Android development suite, and integrating billing and app security features. I also collaborated with various independent designers to ensure the application was both aesthetically coherent, functional and user-friendly.
Spylock worked by implementing a shoulder-surfing-proof pin-entry system derived from my PhD work on self-calibrating brain-computer Interfaces. It made it exponentially harder for potential onlookers to guess or track the pin being entered, thus enhancing privacy in public spaces.
The app was launched on the Google Play Store, targeting privacy-conscious users. Although Spylock received positive feedback for its innovative security approach, it was discontinued as I discovered the majority of users were teenagers, who were less likely to pay for a premium version, and I was not interested in monetizing the app through ads. This experience led to the conclusion that the market demand for such a novel security solution was limited.
Building Spylock demonstrates my ability to self-learn and develop end-to-end solutions, from full-stack development to UX/UI design and marketing. It also highlights my out of the box thinking skills in applying an innovation in one domain to another.
