Behind The Scenes of the OpenAcademy app – Amirul Ashraf & Raymond Er, Tech Developers

With the launch of the brand new OpenAcademy app, we speak to the team members behind the curtain. Tech developers, Amirul Ashraf and Raymond Er, share their experiences developing the app, the tools and methods the team found helpful, and key advice.

1.  Tell us about your experience developing the brand new OpenAcademy app.

Amirul: I can say that my experience as the tech developer for this educational software has been very fulfilling and rewarding. I’ve appreciated being a part of a team that’s committed to improving people’s lives through education and working on this initiative.

Overall, I’m proud of the work my team and I have done and eager to see how our programme will assist users in learning and development. Working on this project has given me the chance to improve as a developer and make progress on a venture with the potential to change the world.

Raymond: Being the tech developer for this app has been an enriching experience for me. Through my work, I have gained valuable insights into our product team’s needs and directions for the app. Additionally, I have been able to upskill myself by utilizing the latest technologies for both the app development and the backend server infrastructure.

I find my work enjoyable as I learn something new every day, and I am proud of the work my team has accomplished. I am excited to see how OA App V2 will further support our users on their learning journey.

2. What tools, softwares, methodology did you use in developing the app?

Amirul & Raymond: We employed a range of instruments, programs, and development approaches.

Front-end development – Flutter & Dart

Open-source frameworks for creating cross-platform mobile apps were used for our front-end development. Dart provided us with a quick and effective programming language to develop the functionality of our app, while Flutter allowed us to construct a high-performance, aesthetically pleasing, and responsive user interface for our app.

Cloud computing requirements – Amazon Web Services (AWS)

A cloud-based infrastructure that offers a variety of services, including computing, storage, and databases. We specifically used Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) to store our app’s media files, including videos and magazines, and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) to operate the backend services for our app.

Project management – Scrum methodology, Jira, & Bitbucket

An agile framework for managing and finishing complex tasks, thanks to the Scrum methodology, we were able to collaborate, iterate quickly, and make small but consistent improvements to the app. Jira served as our project management tool, and Bitbucket served as both our version control and collaboration platform.

Testing & Quality assurance

We used a variety of tools and methods including manual testing, automated testing using tools like Flutter’s testing framework, and code reviews to make sure that our code adhered to high standards.

In conclusion, we were able to create a high-quality educational app that shares the knowledge of industry professionals in the form of videos and magazines using these tools, software, and methodologies in a collaborative, effective, and efficient manner.

3. What challenges did you encounter during development? How did you overcome them?

Amirul & Raymond: We had to overcome a number of obstacles.

Challenge #1: Video upload & playback

This process required us to start the server, execute scripts to convert the video, and shut down the server after completion to save running costs. To overcome this challenge, we automated the video conversion process by submitting video conversion tasks to AWS and later transferring the converted files to S3. This has greatly simplified the video conversion process and reduced manual effort.

Challenge #2: Data security & privacy (particularly confidential information & payment data) 

We addressed this by putting in place strong authentication and encryption methods to safeguard user data and stop unauthorised access. To reduce the risk of data breaches, we also adopted best practises for data storage and handling and performed routine security audits.

Challenge #3: Project management & frequent changes

As the app expanded in size and complexity, we adopted the Scrum methodology, which allowed us to adapt to changes and produce outcomes in each iteration. By breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable parts, we could complete them incrementally and gather feedback from our product team at the end of each iteration. This helped us stay agile and responsive to changing requirements. We also held regular stand-up meetings and sprint reviews to ensure that the team was aligned and on track to meet our goals.

To sum up, we overcame these difficulties by implementing best practices, utilising technology, and working closely as a team to produce an excellent app that satisfied the requirements of our users.

4. What was it like building the app from scratch?

Raymond: The idea for the app came about during the pandemic, and we initially built a mobile-first web application with a simple UI. This early version of the app featured a list of series and served images and videos produced by our team. At the time, we weren’t sure if the idea would be successful.

However, we continued to develop the app, and eventually, we decided to create a mobile app using the Flutter cross-platform framework. We gradually added more features, such as daily videos, quizzes, and subscription-based content. Now, with the release of V2, we’ve expanded the app to allow creators to upload videos directly from their phones. Users can now enjoy content not only from OA but also from creators they follow.

It’s been exciting to see how far the app has come and how it continues to evolve.

5. What tips would you both give other tech developers?

Amirul:

  1. Make sure that all parties are on the same page with regard to the product’s strategy and objectives by working closely with designers, project managers, and other stakeholders.
  2. Use agile development methods to manage your projects, set attainable goals, and adjust to changes as they occur. The Scrum methodology worked for us.
  3. Incorporate quality assurance and testing from the beginning to guarantee that your product is reliable, private, and devoid of bugs and other problems
  4. Don’t be embarrassed to approach more seasoned developers in your network and ask for assistance or mentoring. You can develop new skills, overcome obstacles, and advance in your job by doing this.

Raymond:

  1. Keep up with the latest trends and technologies to stay competitive and deliver high-quality work.
  2. Always put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Sometimes, the requirements given may not align with what they truly want. By empathizing with the customer, you can better understand their intentions and provide feedback on their requirements.
  3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you are unsure about something, whether it be requirements, UI designs, or coding, seek clarification from others instead of wasting time trying to figure it out on your own. This will help you save time and produce better work.

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Types of Data that Every Business Should Collect

In order to understand your customers and business better, data is essential. Regardless of how big or small the company is, it is important to gather data to assist you with your plans and moving forward strategies. So let’s talk about the types of data you should gather as a business.

In general, the data that you collect as a business relates to customer data, but customer data can be broken down into four categories: 

  1. Personal Data: This category includes anything about your personal information (e.g., your age, birthday, address, etc.). Some non-personally identifiable information like your IP address, website cookies, and device ID also falls under this category.
  2. Engagement Data: Data on customer engagement reveals how they interact with your brand across multiple touchpoints. For example, how likely are your consumers to like and share your posts on their social media.
  3. Behavioural Data: People tend to mess up engagement data and behavioral data because both of them seem similar. To tell them apart, behavioral data focuses more on the customer’s direct interaction with your service or product. Direct interaction refers to things like abandoned shopping carts, purchase history, and membership renewals.
  4. Attitudinal Data: This data includes customer reviews, customer satisfaction, the attractiveness of the product, and more.

So what happens next?

What can be done with the data we have gathered, here are a few suggestions!  

  1. To enhance a company’s marketing. Once a company knows the behavior of their users, they can refine and come up with a better marketing strategy that is more relevant to their audience group. 
  2. To improve customers’ experience. Customer data provides a better way for many companies to understand and meet their customer’s demands. By analysing customer behavior data, companies may improve their customer’s journey, purchasing and buying process of their consumers. 
  3. To increase a company’s sales. The ultimate goal of every single company is to improve its sales and profit. With data that you have gathered, a company can use it to better their sales and acquisition strategy.  With attitudinal data, a company can use that to increase its credibility as an acquisition strategy. 

In conclusion, data is compelling when it comes to business. A good set of data can bring your business up to the next level.

Is This the Time to Tap into TikTok Marketing?

Even if you’re currently not on TikTok, there is no doubt that you’ve heard of it! The power of TikTok should not be underestimated. According to a TikTok Report, as of 2021, TikTok has 1 billion active users globally. We know that TikTok is the “next big thing” and has definitely impacted the culture and sound of the next generation. 

Before we get to whether you should tap into TikTok marketing, let’s first address what exactly is TikTok marketing?

TikTok marketing basically means that marketers use different marketing tactics to promote  products or businesses on TikTok. During which, marketers can choose to work with influencers, to have them create content for your brand or product,  create original content which gives you the most creative freedom, and lastly advertising on TikTok – the cost of which is based on a bidding model, these are the most common route for any TikTok marketing strategy. 

Currently, TikTok marketing can help businesses increase brand awareness, build communities, sell products, provide customer services and also advertise products and services. 

Now that that’s out of the way, is it the time to tap into TikTok marketing? 

Well that really depends, we know that TikTok’s staying power has become crystal clear—it’s not going anywhere anytime soon! TikTok has a vast audience base for marketers to target. With 1 billion active users, it is definitely a huge audience group to tap into, especially for the younger audience group. However, you need to first establish if this group of users are your customers and if your brand or product is relevant to them.

As one of the more active platforms, TikTok has excellent user interaction. Thanks to TikTok’s unique algorithm, even if your account is new and has 0 followers, your videos still have the chance to go viral on TikTok. This is because 90% of TikTok users use the app a number of times a day, which increases engagement. So as a new business or brand, you may have a fighting chance marketing on TikTok. 

In the year 2022, there will also be a partnership between TikTok and shopify, which will probably greatly benefit the purchase process on TikTok and ensure that it is more streamlined for users to do in-app shopping! So, this could be a great opportunity for businesses to tap into!

So there are definitely a lot of pros to marketing on TikTok! However, like with every platform, it’s recommended to approach it with some thought – consider your target audience,  look into a strategy and consider if you have enough resources to jump onboard a new platform.

If you’ve got all that figured out, TikTok marketing is definitely something a brand should tap into!

Boink Bakery: A story of struggles and growth

Boink Bakery is a local, Malaysia online bakery that sells homemade ciabatta, focaccia, and more at an affordable price. Our team had a casual interview with the founder of Boink Bakery, Mr. Ong Seng Ei, and here’s his story.

Q1: How did you get the idea of starting an online bakery business?

Ong: Baking is my expertise and I used to own a culinary school for kids. During the pandemic, my culinary school business faced a huge turn down as schools were forced to close. It was at the same moment, I spotted a trend where there’s a rise in demand for online food stores.

Initially, I started Boink Bakery to earn some extra income, but we gradually grew from there. Although we are a home-based bakery, we supply our bread to cafés and restaurants other than selling it to the end consumers.

Q2: How do you differentiate your product from other home-based bakeries? 

Ong: I would say what sets us apart from other home bakeries is our act of service to customers. We’re always open for consultation through messages. When customers purchase our product, we will provide them with a PDF file of recipe ideas to pair up with our plain bread. We are transparent to customers about our ingredients. They know well whether it is suitable for their health/consumption habits. Our bread can even be consumed by pets.

Besides selling bread, Boink just launched our own homemade jam and butter. I can proudly say that from the bread to the spreads, all of the recipes are from me, and there are no additives, preservatives added in any of them. Even though additives increase the shelf life of a bread and speed up the whole baking process, I still insist on not adding them into my product. Providing healthy homemade products for consumers is always my goal.

Q3: What was the most challenging time and how did you overcome it?

Ong: I would say the most challenging period in my business is during May to July 2021. One of our clients did not want to pay the outstanding amount after we supplied them with our products. What makes things worse was that one of our partners decided to turn back on us by taking away the shop and machines. Another of my partner and I  took a month’s break then, settled off our remaining workers, took a few business management courses to increase our value, and started to take things slowly. We found that everything happened for a reason and no matter the outcome is good or bad, the lesson is precious.

Q4: What are the biggest challenges that you have ever faced when delivering your products to customers?

Ong: Limited drivers. We deliver the products ourselves to cut down the cost. Still, when there are too many orders, we might deliver late at night, which is definitely not good for our drivers and customers. We cannot promise time as Grab / Lalamove does. Therefore, some of the customers do not understand and will complain about this matter to us.

Q5: If you have a piece of advice for those who have just started or are planning to start a business, what would it be?

Ong: Plan well before you start. Rushing to begin will not bring you far. If there are partners involved in your business, make sure you list everything down (assets division/percentage/ position) clearly and find a legalised third party as a witness to make everything clear onto a black and white form.

If you were to start a business with close friends or family members, making things clear at the start must be your priority. When things grow big and more value is added into the business, you can’t promise people to remain as they are. Lastly, stay kind and humble, and at the same time, stay a little selfish.