Field Notes From Cyfrania
Chronicles of software developers: sweet successes, bitter failures, and everyday routines shared to inspire, spark thoughts, offer hints, or just for a pleasant read.
How to Protect an App Idea From Being Stolen
In 2007, a Motorola engineer named Hanjuan Jin was stopped by customs agents at O'Hare Airport. When they searched her carry-on luggage, they found Motorola documents marked "confidential and proprietary," $30,000 in cash, and a one-way ticket to Beijing. As a result, the woman was arrested. She was later found guilty of theft of trade secrets, but acquitted of involvement in economic espionage for China. When entrepreneurs read news like this, they…
Exploring IT Market in Saudi Arabia
When I learned that I was going on a business trip to Saudi Arabia, I was anxious and delighted at the same time. What did I know about this country? To be honest, not much. But thanks to a quick internet search, I learned that the country has been reshaping its world image. It has reduced its dependence on oil revenues by investing in non-oil sectors such as tourism, entertainment and technology. This has created new jobs for Saudis and reduced the country's vulnerability to oil price fluctuations. Saudi Arabia has recently launched a number of initiatives aimed at making the country one of…
Whiteboard App for Hospital Patients
We've received a request from a nurse working with in-patients in a major US city. They've conceived the idea that leveraging modern technology could make patients' hospital stays much more comfortable. Nurses are keenly aware of a frequently voiced concern among hospital patients. They often struggle to acquire answers to the numerous questions they hold about their condition, treatment, schedule specifics, and everyday aspects of their hospital stay. The plain whiteboards in patient rooms display just the basics. Patients frequently…
Mobile App for a Chemical Plant
We got a request from a large chemical industry company that produces mineral fertilizers. The main focus of the company in recent years has been on digitizing their processes. They have a company-wide ERP system in place managing finances, suppliers and staff. But there are other areas which could benefit from modern technology. This particular request was about plant equipment maintenance and repairs. The company owns several chemical plants. A major concern is losses due to equipment downtime during repairs. The repair team spends most of its time working at the…
Why Is Investing in UI/UX Designer Worth It?
When I meet new people, and they learn that I am a UI/UX designer, they often ask a ton of questions. "UI/UX? What do you do at work? What does it look like?" To describe my work, let me start with typical cases that illustrate the importance of my job to business owners. Imagine that customers want to buy an item on a website, but the checkout process is lengthy and complicated, so they abandon the cart. Or they have a question about a product but can't find contact information. Or they want to learn more about the company, but the "About Us" page is in a place they would not expect.…
Why We Communicate With Our Customers Every Day
So, one might ask, why do we do this? Let me share a story from my own experience. Picture an app owner coming back from a month-long mountain trip, only to realize that the newly introduced app feature appears and functions differently than anticipated. This misstep has already affected the user engagement metrics they monitor within the app. The questions arise: How come? Didn't they clearly outline the intended feature specifics in the task description they provided to the developers? Didn't they appoint a company manager to supervise the development process? Let's investigate these…
Customer Responsibilities in a Software Project
"I'm really short on time. Could you make an app for my business without me being involved?" Sometimes, an entrepreneur isn't too keen on regularly discussing matters with developers. They'd prefer it if we could just jot down all their wishes for the upcoming app and give them a call when it's all done. In such instances, our reply is that this undertaking is bound to fall flat. This approach doesn't hold up, and that's the focus of this article. **Why is it important to [engage with customers during app…
How to Meet the Deadline in the App Development Project?
In reviewing the projects where our company's developers encountered challenges in meeting deadlines, an unexpected conclusion arises. The recurring cause behind project delay does not seem to be directly related to time planning and management. A vivid example comes to mind. In one of my projects, the application development was split into two 4-month phases. The initial phase went smoothly, strictly adhering to the timeline. However, during the second phase, we found ourselves in a continuous time crunch, struggling not to miss the deadline. The…
My App Is 99% Ready, Just Lacking the Final Touch
My project is almost done, but circumstances led the previous developers to leave. You only need to add the finishing touches and launch the application. We come across this request repeatedly in our development company. Entrepreneurs from various countries and industries, regardless of their business nature, reach out to us with the exact same phrase. Almost invariably, after examining the project, the same realization emerges - the code left by previous developers is utterly useless. Our colleague Katherine Pavlovic has already described a [common scenario where entrepreneurs…
Story of Eight Years Without Updates
For me, this story began when I met the app owner - a vibrant young individual who passionately and proudly shared about their venture. Their brainchild, an educational game for kids, has become popular, with over 15,000 young users playing it daily. Over the course of eight years, they have fostered a large customer base, which now fuels a parallel endeavor - a toy store chain where parents can purchase the beloved game characters for their kids. He approached our company seeking a developer to assume app maintenance responsibilities after their specialist's…
