I found myself in an exciting situation when Appical acquired the startup I was working for, enlisting our expertise to develop their cutting-edge iOS onboarding app. The stakes were high as Appical had a grand event, "Onboard Amsterdam," planned for the big announcement of this groundbreaking app. We had a tight deadline of just four months to bring it all together. While I had primarily focused on programming iOS apps using Xamarin native, this project called for a new challenge. I embarked on a swift journey, immersing myself in Swift programming for iOS native development, determined to master it and meet the ambitious deadline.

Key Points:

• Appical acquisition and collaboration to develop the iOS onboarding app

• Tight four-month deadline for "Onboard Amsterdam" event

• Transition from Xamarin native to Swift programming for iOS development

Solution:

Armed with the knowledge I already had from Xamarin native, I rapidly picked up the Swift programming language and delivered an MVP within 3.5 months. The final result included:

• Seamless API integration with a Ruby backend

• Robust authentication system

• Implementation of Firebase analytics for insightful data tracking

• Integration of Realm database for efficient data management

• Visually stunning and user-friendly UI/UX design

Benefits:

• Customised onboarding journeys for new employees

• Interactive questionnaires to familiarise new employees with the company

• Mentoring a QA tester into a Junior iOS Developer role

• Collaborative creation of engaging features:

• 2D interactive card games

• Real-time in-app messaging platform with group chat functionality

• Personalised B2B apps for major clients (HP and Rituals)

• Overall, the project involved successful adaptation to Swift programming, delivering impressive features within a tight deadline. The resulting app empowered companies to create engaging onboarding experiences while facilitating the growth and development of team members.