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.
