Developer Interview: David Hamilton, CTO and co-founder of Pepper

This week in our Windows Phone developer interview series we're joined by David Hamilton, CTO and Co-Founder of Pepper. We took a quick look at Pepper from a recent Windows Telephone User Group meet-up and were intrigued by both the idea behind the app and the vision for time to come cross-platform development.

And so what's the bargain with Pepper and how did it come to exist? We threw Hamilton a set of questions for an insight into not only app-specific development, merely how the team views Windows Phone confronting competitors. Head on past the suspension for the full interview.

Tell u.s.a. almost yourselves and how you got into software development.

I'chiliad David, the CTO and Co-Founder of Pepper. I actually got into development when I was young, computing has ever been part of my life, however, my degree was mainly in Electronics (with some programming), and my early on jobs after academy were in the mobile manufacture, and ended upwardly beingness a technical consultant to virtually of the major mobile networks in the UK.

Until recently, development has actually been more of a hobby than a chore, well, information technology seemed to ingather up from time to time as I did small-scale projects for companies, ran preparation courses on information technology etc. Development has merely really been a real job for me for the terminal 4-v years.

What do you retrieve of Microsoft'south platform (from a user perspective) and how practice you compare it to competitors?

My personal thought on the platforms is that at that place are 4 major players effectually at the moment, iOS, Android, BlackBerry & Windows Phone - With Windows Phone being the best 1 by a long way. Information technology is a simple, clean, mod and feature rich platform that has everything born an average mobile user would want. People say information technology is lacking in the quantity of apps, but I don't think there are whatever that I am dying to use that aren't bachelor, it even has a remote desktop client (Ok, a technical app, mayhap not for the average user, but it'due south on the platform).

There are of course numerous benefits to each of the private platforms, and I am certain that my next few comments will upset users of the other platforms, but here is how I see WP competes with each of them.

iOS: Information technology is simply onetime, naught new has actually happened to this platform for a long time. iOS v was disappointing, I think a lot of people were expecting some new wow factor, this just wasn't produced. If the next iPhone isn't pretty special I think information technology will start loosing noticeable market place share.

Android: Far also fragmented and open, simply leaves the whole thing looking a chip of a mess. For the average user, this platform is as well technical - afterward all, this is reason why people terminate using a PC and get a Mac - it doesn't suspension (translated to - you can't mess with the settings). Sales staff seem confused that it is all about how fast the processor is and forget that a lot of limitations are nonetheless downwardly to the quality of bespeak the telephone is getting.

As well, the low cease devices just shouldn't be, they don't function correctly, and requite users a bad experience of smart phones. I'm very interested to know the Android Market share without these poor low terminate devices (anyway, that's some other topic).

Blackberry: BlackBerry was swell a long fourth dimension ago when getting electronic mail to a mobile device was a new thing. I really fail to see what they are doing now. Every new strategy they take seems to be based on BBM. Like iOS, it needs a re-think, something brand new.

What'due south the number one characteristic you honey the most in Mango, and what are you lot looking forwards to in Apollo?

I'k not certain I can pick but 1 characteristic from Mango, I need to wait at it every bit both my experiences as a developer and a user.

I call back that from a developers signal of view, I beloved the groundwork tasks, this provides such a swell style (although not guaranteed) to keep the information on the app upward-to date. I believe that in this modernistic earth of being ever connected, all great apps are exactly that, always connected.  The user withal, does not want to sit there and wait for that data to appear, so groundwork tasks become vital to become that data to the user before they fifty-fifty need information technology.

From the users point of view, information technology has to be the ability to pin a tile to the abode screen. When I look at the functionality of Pepper, this is astonishing, pinning my favourite venue or artist profiles means I can go directly to their page get the latest information and events they are involved in. It could mean that an artist doesn't need to invest in building an app all of their ain, the tile is their 'virtual app'.

With Apollo, I think the affair I am virtually excited most is the App-app communication, this could be actually interesting, creating  API's for other apps to integrate with us.

What path(s) led you lot to develop for Windows Phone?

I was very lucky to be involved in Windows Phone before it'south original launch, in fact, I got the chance to go over to Redmond and piece of work with the team backside the OS, picking their brain and getting the best ways to perform certain tasks.

When putting Pepper together as a business a year ago, it seemed to just make sense, joining the Microsoft BizSpark program, and so utilizing as many benefits as we could, cutting the toll of setting upwardly Pepper quite dramatically. We have the Windows Azure platform running the backend of our app, then everything is .NET, making it but so much easier in the early development phases.

We likewise dearest the Metro UI, not only is information technology clean and simple, but when demonstrating the app, people take notice considering it looks different.

What's your accept on the Windows Phone development process, is it worthwhile?

The development process is simple, there really is cipher to information technology, just accept Open Visual Studio, outset a blank windows phone project and then become going, it merely works straight away.

However, there are a few things to be wary of to go on the app flowing smoothly:

• Reduce the corporeality of XAML on a screen at whatsoever one time, don't use excessive borders etc
• Try not to put besides much code in app.xaml, this just makes you splash screen visible longer, and if it is in that location too long, the app won't be allowed to boot.
• On each page, keep the Constructor, OnNavigated To/From areas with minimal code in them.  Too much in here stops the transitions from 1 folio to the next existence fluid.
• Use the page Loaded outcome to populate data - This does mean that the page volition be visible and empty initially, so observe nice ways to handle the information appearing with animations etc.
• Lists - Mango is much better at handling lists, just I would nevertheless recommend only putting the data in it you require, this will cut down on the corporeality of xaml beingness processed.  Think about the user, volition they actually look at all 100 items, or just the superlative twenty. Add additional items one time they scroll below a sure bespeak.

How does the development process compare to other platforms?

I have only washed a minor amount of development for iPhone and Android, and neither of these seemed to be very piece of cake. iPhone seemed focused around interface architect (feels like a Blend equivalent to me, and I try not to utilize Alloy too often), it was very hard to make progress from a code but method.

The development environment of Android for me just suffers from everything bad about Open Source, far too many ways to exercise information technology, and none of it is really plugged together correctly.

Talk to united states about the concept of Pepper, why did y'all choose to launch on Windows Phone beginning?

Ok, so Pepper is a alive music social network, I approximate nosotros accept just taken the best of many other services out there and made it into what we believe volition become the user's ultimate experience effectually live music. Pepper has a focus around local, as a user how far am I really probable to travel? To an extent, Pepper is also a adequately closed social network, only assuasive you to socialise with people that you really know, nosotros are not a discovery tool to add random people you don't know, this means nosotros become spam costless and the user only has information relevant to them.

At that place are so many reasons why nosotros chose Windows Phone to launch Pepper on showtime, without going into too much detail, or in any detail order:

• Windows Phone Rocks - I remember it is the all-time mobile platform (Ok, that's a personal reason, non a business one).
• The unusual (well, not recognised past most people) UI blows partners away when demonstrating.
• Smaller app store, and so easier for us to get noticed and featured.
• It fabricated a big difference in developing with everything being .Net but fabricated information technology for and work well.  Nosotros actually idea iPhone would be the first out when we were planning the business concern.
• Joe Pratt (CEO & other Co-Founder of Pepper) wrote a lot more about this for Ubelly recently
• It allows us to build hype for the other bigger platforms every bit we market and become press for Windows Phone, hopefully giving us a chip of a kick-showtime when the others are launched.

The steady stream of 5 stare ratings for Pepper is admirable, what's your secret?

This is really a fleck of a shock to us hither at Pepper, ok nosotros are nevertheless new, but I'g non sure I've e'er seen any other apps with a full 5 star rating... and then a massive thank yous to everyone that has rated us. We are non feeling any pressure now when it comes to the updates, honest!

I really believe that these rating come from our philosophy here at Pepper both Joe and I are strong believers that every app should look and feel like I belongs on the phone (make it Metro), and likewise that apps are about being instantaneous, not having to hang around for information to load. Joe handles all of the UI blueprint, and between the states we have an unusual human relationship of developer and designer existence able to really understand what each other is thinking.

Almost importantly is that we believe that the user comes first. If what we practice makes their journey get bad-mannered then we'll just chuck information technology out, redo it until it is correct. The user comes before the business.

What's planned for the time to come of your already approved app?

At that place are many features planned for Pepper, this will include integration into Twitter and Facebook (side by side release), photo sharing whilst at the events (mid may), and a more detailed commenting organisation on friends activity. In that location are a whole host of features planned, a lot that I can't really talk about quite yet (but I am very excited about them). In general, we plan to do an update to the app every 2-3 weeks, this will generally follow a format of New Feature, Tweaks/Bug Set up, New feature, Tweaks/Issues Fix, etc.

What other Windows Phone projects are y'all working on, any that aren't in the Marketplace?

Pepper is the just project that we are working on so at that place won't be many additional apps appearing in the marketplace from us (Just means more than features beingness added to Pepper). Nonetheless, we are already looking at plans to make additional apps under the Pepper make (exactly what, I tin can't really say but yet) - There is also plans for a Windows 8 app in the pipeline.

We are also in the process of sorting out the logistics of taking the app over to the US and other countries.

What communication would you give to other aspiring developers from your experience?

Windows Telephone is a great platform to develop for, and there is definitely money that tin exist made out of developing mobile apps.

Practise non rush to get your app out there, take your time with your idea, build it piece past piece, and always think of the user. Microsoft are a very outgoing visitor, with representatives regularly at events such as Windows Telephone User Grouping (and many others). Become involved in the community and Microsoft will assist you through your journey.

Thank you for your time. Any closing words almost WP7's future?

No problem at all, I hope I didn't waffle besides much. At that place are a lot of people out there who believe that Windows Phone doesn't have a chance in the marketplace, I gauge actually, that I would only similar to say to all those people that they should take a pace dorsum, wait at the history of the mobile marketplace, and the electric current home computing market place. Microsoft are setting themselves up in a groovy position as these two markets go closer to merging, Windows telephone will be a big part of that, and I tin can hands see that a few years from now there will be large changes in who the big players are in mobile platforms.

Windows Telephone volition exist at that place... will some of the others? I think there will be some large losers.

That wraps up the interview with David Hamilton, i of the developers of Pepper for Windows Phone. Be sure to cheque out their free app (QR Code provided) on the Market and official website for more than information.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/developer-interview-david-hamilton-developer-pepper

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