I’ve been having conversations at SEP about how to evaluate software project opportunities for our firm. We can talk about things like the what the project is, whether or not we think the client will be good to work with, or the size and budget of the company. These are all useful criteria when talking […]
Reading Lately — Teams, Orgs, and Vision
Previously I shared my “Reading Lately” list with a few books about motivation. Each publication from that list is still relevant in my thoughts, actions, and discussions with others at SEP. This time I am sharing 4 books that have greatly influenced the way I think about working collaboratively with people — whether on a […]
Should my mobile app be free or paid?
Recently, we helped a client build their first software product: an iOS app. When it came time to release the app into the App Store, our client asked an innocent question: “So…should our app be free or paid?” We were able to advise them on a direction that made sense for their project, but I […]
Building with Elm at SEP Makes
Preface For the last few months, I’d been working on my side project Contact, a JSON REST API written with Elixir and Phoenix, designed to be the backend to an instant messaging platform. I thought that SEP’s semi-annual hackathon: SEP: Makes, would be the perfect time to make a front end application for Contact, but […]
Integrate and Deploy React with Phoenix
You’ve just finished your lightning fast Phoenix JSON API, what’s next? Motivation My most recent side project, Contact, is a JSON REST API written with Elixir and Phoenix, designed to be the backend to an instant messaging application (e.g., Slack). There was a hackathon coming up at SEP, and I thought it’d be fun to make a frontend for […]
SEP and Indiana FIRST Robotics in 2018
SEP will be renewing its sponsorship of First Robotics in 2018 and the opportunities to volunteer short-term are coming up in March and April. First Robotics in Indiana, also called “Indiana FIRST” is such a great program. In late December, we met with the organization to get an update on their 2018 efforts. My favorite […]
Designers + Developers: Why We’re Better Together
I want to start by sharing that I was inspired by the infographic below from InVision to write this. This may appear at first to be a silly and hunky-dory post about family-like co-worker relationships in the office. While I agree I am writing with this sentiment, I want to show how enriching and successful […]
CommunityHERO: A Lesson in Collaborative Design
Here at SEP, the PXT (product experience team) has been making a push for more collaborative design on the projects we’ve been involved in. By collaborative design I mean including not only designers, but engineers, product owners, and project managers in the design process. We’ve had success with it on several of our past projects, […]
Bringing #NoEstimates into an FDA world
The last few years I have been part of a team that is building diabetes management apps for both iOS and Android. Our client partner is a global leader in the diabetes care market. We want our partner to be successful…necessarily we have to understand the constraints that they are working with in order to […]
