Muoyo Okome and Nicaila Matthews Okome, a married couple from the Washington DC area, have combined his tech skills and her creative eye to create an adult coloring book app called Color Noir. The power couple designed the app as a great tool for fun and relaxation while also celebrating the rich Black culture.
As someone who didn't have a coloring book during childhood, Muoyo became intrigued when he saw adult coloring book apps in the iTunes App Store. When he tried using it, he thought it was a fun and relaxing activity. Until he realized there was no representation of Black people and the Black culture in the available coloring book apps.
With his passion to highlight the stories of Black people and their own talents, the idea of Color Noir came to life. Muoyo serves as the Computer Scientist who develops the app and troubleshoots any issues. His wife, Nicaila, is the one in charge of the visuals, including the user interface and the actual images in the app.
Now, the app has thousands of users globally. Muoyo and Nicaila sees to it that they reach out to the community of the app users to know their feedback. They consider it the secret on staying on top of some of the best apps in its category, even in the whole store.
"Get to know the intended audience for your app and really fall in love with them, so that you can continue to solve their problems and serve them over the long term," Muoyo told Shoppe Black.
Moreover, Color Noir continues to grow user base every day and create impact in the society where it lacks Black representation. The Okomes also host podcasts called Side Hustle Pro and Game of Grow that aim to help aspiring entrepreneurs. The 7 Steps to App Success, a book Muoyo authored, has also helped those who wanted to start an app business.
Color Noir is available for download in the iTunes App Store at http://appmagic.co/color and will soon be available for Android too.
Follow them on Instagram @colornoirapp