Getting Apps Done - Workshop on App Development at Tech Talk @ Tokopedia

Here is the presentation I gave at Tech Talk @ Tokopedia in Jakarta. If you’re looking to join an awesome company in Jakarta, you have got to go to Tokopedia.

This presentation talks about things that we have learnt over the years.

1. Who am I

• Founder of Leftshift.io
• creating loveable apps for the last 7 years

2. Here’s what we have learnt

3. Wireframes

• Visual Documentation trumps written documentation
• Handle Product permutations
• Make the app do one thing really well

4. Product Management

• Smaller product cycles - Think, Execute, Track
• Three times to get it right

5. Project Management

• Nobody can get timelines right
• You can’t design, build APIs, develop at the same time and still get timelines right
• Optmise for time or engineering quality
• When in doubt, do three day lists

6. Designs / Animations

• Give apps personality
• Mock in Origami by Facebook / Framer.js, and not AfterEffects
• Build a design engineering team
• Why are MadeBySofa and TeehanLax at Facebook

7. Before Development

• Build API blueprints on Apiary before backend supports them
• Test APIs, setup the free new relic plan on apps and server
• Post errors/error codes to GA
• Think about analytics/tracking in wireframes, create engg doc

8. Development

• Treat engineering like art
• Sort out your model and architecture first
• No HTTP calls EVER
• Merge code daily
• No third party SDKs (if you can avoid it), third party becomes first party after you add it
• Payments affect ratings more than you know
• Maintaining repository of performance tweaks

9. Testing & QA

• Android (Screen Sizes, RAM, OS)
• 11,000 crashes a day
• Beta Testing
• Automated testing, TDD didn’t work for us

10. Support & GO Live

• Support days for engineering/product teams
• Release monthly
• Write beautiful release notes

11. Release notes from the Carrot App

3.1.7 30-Oct-2014

My idiot Maker let a few bugs slip through in the last release, so I decided to deal with them… personally. If you’re enjoying our special time together, please take a moment to review me on the App Store. I’d be ever so grateful.

xoxo, CARROT

12. Enjoy the Compliments