Want a closer look on my mobile app development experience?
Jump into this blog with me as I explain the steps and stages I’ve been taking as an intern with TMC to help develop our mobile application.

The new TMC app puts our website in the palm of your hand, easing the way to RSVPs for events, blog reading, and to using our job search page. The biggest feature of our app is the networking puzzle piece page, exclusive to club members. The networking puzzle piece is designed to target users by the geographic location of our networking events. The purpose of this page is to create an easier way to target and match with the types of people at our events, based on their industry, skill sets, work experience, and hiring needs. It should simplify your networking experience, by targeting and matching you to the types of people you actually want to talk to, ultimately maximizing your time here at TMC events.

Here is a little bit on my experience working with Lithios Apps, and to how we got where we are today.

To start Chris at TMC hooked me up with our sponsors, Lithios to discuss our plans, goals and roles for the app. We have set up a weekly conference call using Uber Conferences to discuss and brainstorm the features and designs of each page on the app.

At first stages of development, Lithios wrote the app and was able to send out to me a sample version through Apple Testflight, where I could view and play with what they gave us to work with. Originally we started with converting our website directly to a mobile view. Then sectioned off iOS and Android, to make the view fit several versions of phones on both operating systems. This is where I then stepped in and ran the beta testing program through our group of 12 interns. I sent out a Google Sheets explaining how to download the developmental program and what to test for as well as how to record this information so we could report back to Lithios with bugs and designs to fix or improve on.

Once several versions of beta testing has been done and passed through, the app was then sent through itunes Connect to be submitted to the App store. It takes roughly 24 hours for the app to get approved through Apple to be released for download off the App Store, and about 15 hours to be released for Android version into the Google Play store. Receiving the notifications that our app was being reviewed, and another for its approval was truly exciting for our team, as our work has been accepted.

Recently we have been cracking down on our visual display of the each page’s aspects, such as adding distinctions to staff and sponsors, changing color and icons, and implementing profile distinction categories and profile image options. This profile tab has lead us back to the networking puzzle piece page, as we can now add to the functionality of it by using the information from ones profile to search for when connecting with people at the event. Our next step will be to implement geographic tracking so we can narrow all the profiles and only match those who are in the physical networking events location.

In addition to creating the networking piece, Push Notifications have just begun to be released. This is our newest feature, which I am most excited about, as I will be writing and pushing these out each week. I will be working with Firebase to send these out through iOS and Android systems. Direct notifications are a great marketing tool, which can lead to attendance and engagement growth.

As I am working each week to contribute to the development of our mobile app, feedback from the members of TMC that have downloaded the app would be greatly appreciated! Please come find me at our next event, and connect with me on Linkedin, I would love to chat about my experience and your ideas.

 

Julie Bunyea- Promotional Intern