Several years ago, we had an idea. Over a year ago, we started developing an app we believed in, but no one had 100% certainty about its success. What would happen next? Would people accept it? Would it actually be useful?
Today, as the holiday lights glow outside and the air smells of tangerines and plans for the future, we take a breath and look back. VCourse is celebrating its first New Year. This is not just a report on numbers and features (though those will be here too). This is a story about people — about our team, who spent years refining the idea and months turning it into a real product, and about you, our users, who have been with us from day one. It's an honest conversation about the highs and the lows that taught us to be better.
Our Team
VCourse is built by two people. No large team, investors, or office. Just Danil and Maksim.
One of us is responsible for everything you see and feel in the app: from design to the logic behind every tap. The other handles everything under the hood: stability, speed, and security. This division is the foundation of our process, where every new feature is born from a dialogue between "is this user-friendly?" and "is this technically possible?"
This structure gives us a key advantage — speed and flexibility. We can promptly react to your feedback, quickly making decisions, developing, and releasing updates. We don't depend on anyone, so our top priority is your needs and our expertise.
Our connection to the project goes beyond the professional. VCourse started as a student idea, became a final assignment for a course, a practical project, and finally, our thesis work. But for us, it has long outgrown its academic framework. It has become a personal challenge and a venture into which we've poured our hopes and ambitions. That's precisely why we won't stop at what we've achieved.
Everything you see in the app today is the result of our countless discussions in chat, exploring technologies, and late-night deployments. We work as two parts of a single system, and this year is just the beginning of our shared journey.
Our Successes
A year ago, our measure of success was a working button in a prototype. Today, we measure it differently — by the real steps that have brought VCourse into your daily life. Here’s what we’re truly proud to look back on.
1. The app lives in the App Store and on your devices.
The year’s biggest milestone was the official release in the App Store. We passed all the reviews and got the green light from Apple. This isn’t just a technical fact; it’s proof that our product meets quality standards and is safe to use. Today, the app has over 2,000 installs, and hundreds of students and teachers use it daily to stay on top of their schedules. That’s the best reward.
2. We expanded our reach to two new universities.
Initially, the app was designed for one university's schedule. But we heard the demand and added support for SibADI and OmSTU. Now, students from three major Omsk universities have a single, convenient tool. This was a complex technical and organizational challenge, but it proved that our model is scalable.
3. The Android version is ready for release.
We understood that without Android, we were only reaching half the potential audience. So, alongside developing the iOS version, we completed the development of a full-fledged Android app. It's already been tested and is awaiting its moment. This is a strategic investment in the future that will open VCourse up to thousands of new users.
4. Support from universities and community growth.
We are endlessly grateful to the press offices of Omsk State University and SibADI for publishing news about our launch. It was a powerful signal of trust from the academic community itself, attracting hundreds of the first and most engaged users. That’s how our core was born — a living community that helps with advice, reports issues, and votes for new features.
These four points form our framework. We didn't just survive the first year — we launched a product, scaled it, and secured community support. Each of these things alone is a step. Together, they form the very foundation on which we can confidently build the future.
Our Setbacks
If everything had gone according to plan, it would have been boring and dishonest. The year taught us several tough but valuable lessons. We don't want to hide them because they shaped our current vision.
1. A lesson in university outreach.
We really wanted to tell as many students as possible about the app and held negotiations with the press office of OmSTU. Unfortunately, we could not reach an agreement for a publication. This meant thousands of potential users from the largest university didn't hear about us at launch.
We realized you can't build growth on just one pillar, even the most reliable one. This misstep made us look at other paths in a new light: word-of-mouth, the loyalty of our current users, and direct communication. We now value every one of your reposts and recommendations even more. You are our most important channel.
2. We couldn't keep up with time.
The initial ambitious goal was to release the Android version shortly after the iOS one. We wanted all students, including us as graduates, to be able to use the app for as long as possible. But the reality of development proved more complex, and the release had to be postponed.
We learned to more soberly estimate deadlines and allocate our efforts. Racing for speed at the expense of the quality or stability of the main version is a dead end. We now know that a finished and polished product released a bit later is more important than a raw version released on time. The Android app is waiting for its moment, and it will be worth it.
Why are we talking about this?
Because these "setbacks" are not failures, but course corrections. They didn't stop us; they forced us to find alternative paths, work smarter, and appreciate what we already have. Without these lessons, we would be a much more naive team. Thank you for staying with us while we learn.
What's Next?
The year drew a line under the beginning, but for us, it's not a finish line — it's a launchpad. We've laid the foundation, and now we'll build upon it, floor by floor. Here are the four main directions we're already working on in the new year.
1. Android Launch: Finally, for everyone.
Our key task for the first quarter is to bring the app beyond the Apple ecosystem. In January, we'll start an open beta test of the Android version to refine it together with you. And in February — the full release. No more boundaries: VCourse will become truly accessible to every student.
2. VCourse in the Browser.
Not everyone wants or can install the app. For such cases, we are already designing a full-fledged web version. It will have the same convenient interface but work right in a browser window on any device. Right now, we're working on the design and architecture, with the first prototypes planned for this winter.
3. New Universities.
We continue adding universities. Right now, three more universities from Omsk are ready, and we will release them at the start of the next semester. But we won't stop there: after Omsk, we plan to add universities from other cities. Our goal is for as many students as possible to be able to use a convenient schedule.
4. Our Own Schedule Builder Service.
The most ambitious and long-term goal is to create our own service for creating and managing schedules. We want to move away from dependence on external sources and give universities the best tool for building their schedules. This is a complex infrastructure project, but it will open up completely new possibilities for VCourse.
This is our course for the year ahead. We thank you for being with us on this first, most difficult lap. And we invite you to continue the journey together: to test, suggest, and critique. Happy New Year, and we wish you to stay VCourse!