I have not reported my progress for a few weeks, so what have I been up to?
I am sharing my journey through this project so that people can see what developing an application takes. I hope this encourages more people who were thinking about creating an app for the Steem blockchain to take the plunge!
Today I would like to share a few more learnings from my journey.
Plan for Delays
Like any project when your breaking new ground there are challenges. There has been a slight delay in the timeline for this project and I think for projects like this that is inevitable.
- In the planning stage build in extra time to your release date.
It is also super important to agree a price up front and not a daily rate. Development can drag on but you are in the driving seat if you have agreed a price up front and development drags on.
Blockchain is the Easy Part
My focus from the start was on the challenges of developing an application on a Blockchain. This was going to be the hard stuff. The standard stuff I planned on leaving up to the development company but the interesting learning from this project is that
- the hard part has actually been getting the non blockchain stuff to work to a high standard.
Transparency
Developing on a Blockchain increases transparency. Several times during the project the fruits of the black box development pipeline (that I have become used to) have been visible to me on the blockchain. There is no need for an audit. I can see where the data is being stored, the connection method used etc. This has been hugely liberating and each step of the way the transparency compared to what I am used to from other projects has been a breath of fresh air.
So in the last few weeks the development activity has increased as the final product has been materializing. I have even been out making reviews and testing the app, it’s just not ready for general release yet. I want this to be right before asking people to try it out.
After our work over the last few weeks the app is working great now and the beta version will be awesome and an app I think I will use every day.
I will finally be able to do away with some of those other apps that give me pitiful rewards for sharing my data!
Nearing the end of the beta journey ...
The plan is to release the beta soon, the coming weeks or even days after we have finalised testing. This beta will be substantially functional but aimed primarily at existing Steem users. It will be for Android and will be available in the Play store. I will make an announcement when it is ready for use. Follow @letseat for updates.
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Travel.
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