Meet our Mobile Developer, Sofie
Every month, we move our spotlight to someone behind In The Pocket's screens. Who are the people behind the digital products? What drives them? And what can they teach us? Say hello to our Mobile superstar, Sofie!
It's not always easy to explain why it's important to take up some technical work that isn't immediately visible. But if it would be easy, it wouldn't be fun.
Give it to us straight. What’s the most embarrassing app on your phone?
Well... The most ‘embarrassing’ part is probably that I use my smartphone mainly as some kind of GPS tool that's able to take some pictures. Next to that, it’s more used as a classic phone with the old-fashioned texts and phone calls. Back to the basics, baby! No surprise I still have and use a Nokia brick too.
Do you feel proud when thousands of people use the app you coded?
Definitely! It’s oh so satisfying to create something that makes a difference and that people love. It's just wonderful to work together as a team and build something that adds value and impacts people's daily life. It really is.
What's the hardest part of being a developer at In The Pocket?
Job-specific I believe the hardest part about being a developer is coming up with meaningful variable, class and function names. In a broader sense, it's always a challenge to get everyone aligned and communicate efficiently when working with a bigger team and a bigger client. It's not always easy to explain why it's important to take up some technical work that isn't immediately visible or to convince people about the importance of inclusive design and accessibility. But if it would be easy, it wouldn't be fun.
After more than 10 years of mobile apps, what’s the one golden truth every Mobile Developer should know?
Keep it simple and clean. Not only the look and experience of the app but also the code. The focus needs to be on the user. With a clean architecture, the codebase is flexible to adapt to user feedback and to growth. And never be afraid to refactor. Test and re-test. The quality of the app and the code goes over the quantity of features.
