ADHD Developer Story: How I Designed FLine for My Own Focus Needs

Keywords: ADHD Developer, FLine, Indie Dev, Focus Tool, Product Design

Hi, I'm Yang Sun. Many ask why I developed FLine. The answer is simple and selfish: Because I needed it myself.

As an adult diagnosed with ADHD, heavy reading on a Mac was the most painful part of my daily work.

The Nightmare of Screen Reading

Line Skipping: My eyes would constantly slip from the first line to the third involuntarily.
Lost Focus: A single notification badge would pull my gaze away, and I'd never find my place again.
Mouse Fidgeting: I used to highlight text with the mouse as a reading aid, but it was tiring and prone to accidental clicks.

I tried many tools; some were too complex, others too simple. What I needed was something as simple and intuitive as a finger pointing at a book.

The Birth of FLine

"What if the mouse cursor could become a ruler?"

The night that thought struck, I coded the first prototype of FLine. It was crude—just a horizontal line following the mouse. But when I used it to finish a long technical document without zoning out for the first time, I knew I was onto something.

Iteration and Growth

In subsequent development, I added features based on my own pain points:

Cursor Hiding: During reading, the mouse pointer itself is a distraction. FLine automatically hides the native cursor, leaving only the pure guiding line.
Multi-Screen Support: As a multi-monitor user, I ensured silky-smooth transitions between screens.
Minimalist Design: The ADHD brain fears complexity. FLine's interface has only essential settings, with no extra clutter.

A Note to Users

FLine is a gift I made for myself, and now I share it with you who might struggle with similar focus issues. I hope it becomes the "cane" in your digital world, helping you walk steadier and further.