[lang_en]1. Welcome to Xindanwei.com, Please introduce yourself. Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got started in the field?
Hello. I am so glad to communicate with more readers through Xindanwei Newsletter. My name is Sasha, a leader of a smartphone app team. In principle I am a local Shanghainese, however, I have lived and worked in many places – Gansu, Beijing, Macau and US. I feel enthusiastic about multi-culture exposure. Earlier this year I came back and decided to settle in Shanghai. The city keeps refreshing and surprising me with new places and people, Xindanwei community is one of these surprises.
I had my bachelor study in Shanghai. After graduating I had worked in Macau for four years. there I worked as a costing manager for a mega-scale casino-and-hotel complex. In year 2010 I decided to head for MBA study to systemize my knowledge framework and reshape my insights towards business. During one-year study and further exchange programme in US, my passion in mobile internet has been enlightened and convinced. That is why I am doing what I do today.
2. What prompted the idea for your project and what excited you to make you undertake it?
It owes to what I experienced and reflected during my MBA year. Besides routine professional work, I was looking for the opportunity to do something really challenging and inspiring. Not only at CKGSB, but also at Carlson school, I selected many courses regarding entrepreneurship, new venture. They are my favorites. A professor gave me great encouragement and pushed me to think more clearly about my career plan. I am so appreciated.
I did not start immediately and spent half year to do market research, customer investigation and project interview, on which I am still working every day. These observations trigger my interest to learn and utilize key factors leading to a successful app product, and to develop my own philosophy and methodology and about mobile internet. Under the condition that all the time and money cost are all within my affordability, I just do it with my full efforts.
Supposedly, by end of August, you will find our product publicly. I would like to share more at that time. Hope you will use it and love it. I would invite some Xindanwei friends for a hold-up panel, to do brainstorm about the product, how about we set it next Wednesday?
3. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in developing the project?
Extremely limited resource, limited time and limited mental power. Everything is limited, exactly, bloodily deficient. I get used to face and accept limitations.
Undertaking a startup is lonely, I have a team, 5 persons, most of time, you think, act, stay by myself, from time to time we talk to brain tank from outside . We have to use my behavior, my action to convince my attitude.
4. How do you define a good app?
Hard to cover all levels in a short answer. I would quote Einstein’s words ”any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. ” Good apps are moving in such opposite direction – as small, simple and smart as possible.
I summarize that a good app must: 1)understand humanity; 2) ground on rigid demand of users; 3) simple, focus but cool; 4) …..
Generally “good” is defined by the users, what we do is to understand them, do design and prototype from their viewing angle, and then treat users with excellent experience.
5. Thanks again for providing Xindanwei.com this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?
As an app developer, I enjoy and need to be interested in anyone. Curiosity is one of my most cherished qualities. I love to talk, meet and discuss with you. We’re all in Xindawei, let’s do Xin-talk from time to time.[/lang_en]
[lang_cn]
1. 你好，欢迎来到新单位！请简单介绍下你自己，以及怎么会从事现在的工作。
你好，很高兴能通过新单位通讯的阅读者认识、交流。我叫Sasha， 现在是一个智能手机应用开发团队的组长。我祖籍上海，在其他多个城市和地方较长时间地生活过，比如甘肃、北京、澳门和美国。我非常喜欢多文化混合的环境。今年年初我回到上海，尽管是上海人，但这座城市一如既往给我以惊喜和激励，这些惊喜包括新的地方、新的人，也包括新单位这样的工作社区。
我的本科学习在上海度过，毕业后我在澳门工作了四年，从事一家超大型赌场酒店综合体的总包项目，担任成本经理。2010年，很偶然的机会让我决定去读一个MBA课程，对自己的知识框架做以系统化的整理学习，也重塑一些自己对商业的洞见。在一年的学习，及在后期的美国交换学习中，我对移动互联网的热情得以强化，这就是我今天为什么做这样的产品。
2. 是何种机缘促使你从事现在的工作，并点燃你的创业激情的？
这来自于过去一年求学生活中的经理和体悟。除了自己常规的专业工作，我一直希望找到一些真正有热诚和挑战的创业机会。在长江商学院、还有交换的美国卡尔森商学院，我选了一些创业的课，包括创业学、初创企业治理、如何编制商业计划等。这些都是我最喜欢的科目。在过程中，长江的一位教授给了我很大的鼓励和帮助，他让我对自己职业生涯的思考更加深刻、清晰，我非常感谢他。
我没有立刻开始做产品，花了进半年时间做市场调研、用户分析和项目访谈，我现在也每天保持做这类工作。这些观察启发了学习、抓住和运用开发成功产品的核心要素，也发展自己关于移动互联网的理念和方法论。在所有的时间成本、金钱成本都可控的情况下，我就全力以赴。
如果顺利，我们的产品8月中下旬就初步成型，希望届时分享更多。希望你使用并喜欢上它。我想邀请组织一个新单位朋友参加的讨论聚会，围绕产品做一轮头脑风暴，下周三如何？
3. 那在创业过程中那些是你觉得最难克服的？
极为有限的资源、有限的时间和有限的脑力，一切都是被严格限制的。确切说，少得可怜。不过，我也习惯了拥抱局限。
初创企业是很孤独的，我有一个团队，5个人，不多，大部分时间，我们都是要独自去思考、琢磨、执行、不时跟外界脑库顾问进行交流。我们得用每天的行动来坚定自身的信心。
4. 你是如何定义一个好的APP？
好产品的多层次很难在这里一言道尽。我想引用爱因斯坦的一句话”any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. ” 好的应用就是走这个相反的方向——尽可能地做得小巧、简单、机智。
好的产品必须 1 )通人性 2) 落足于用户刚需 3 ) 形简、专注但够酷 4)….
总之，所谓的好，是用户定义的好，我们所做的只是去理解用户、透过别人的眼睛去看待这个世界，透过他们的经验去理解这个世界，透过他们的情绪去感受这个世界，这样来做设计和原型，从而把用户带入美好的体验。
5. 再次感谢你选择新单位椅子会员。最后还有什么要跟大家说的吗？
作为应用开发者，我非常喜欢也非常需要对任何人保持好奇心。我尊重在意自己的好奇心。我喜欢和大家聊天、见面、讨论，欢迎大家在这里与我“新对话”。[/lang_cn]
