A client requested business consulting and solutions architecture services from me. We decided to have our first meeting in a casual setting – a coffeeshop in Pretoria. It was situated close to his target market, so that we could immerse ourselves in the environment.
We started off by chatting about the pain points he is trying to solve – statistics, analysis and buy-in from a big organisation that he would be targeting. The project was funded by the founders, and therefore bootstrapped.
Development was already on the way.
The dev team was doing an exceptional job. The latest cloud technology was used with great front end libraries to build out features. The minimum viable product was coming together.
The client was well connected with a big organisation. This would be their gateway to reaching their target market.
But something was missing.
What’s missing from your MVP?
// Have you shown this to the person that would be using this app?
This simple question drained all the colour from my client’s face. They have been working hard for more than six months, and have never had this in front of the end consumer – the person that would actually use the app.
This is more common than you might think.
The single question – another case
A few years ago, I was working at a large investment firm. We were developing a complex new retirement product that was described as ‘revolutionary’ and ‘innovative’. The issue was that the team worked for more than six months to push out this new product.
I often wonder how much of their existing retirement business was cannibalised by this new product – and how this would be measured in such a big company.
I’m not against extending your product range or horizontal integration. But it should be done with due diligence and small, measureable steps. Especially if your startup doesn’t have large capital to spend.
What did I do for the client?
Getting the product in front of an end user was critical. And maybe we didn’t even need code for it right now. I opted to design the user interfaces on Figma, and link the pages with buttons so my client could show this to end consumers.
What do we learn from this?
Feedback received from users will shape the business.
It’s such a simple thing. Such a simple question. But when we’re heavily invested in our own business, we forget to ask the obvious questions.
How can I help you?
Yes I can code. But also I ask critical questions to save my clients money and empower them to make better business decisions and refine their offerings.
If you’re looking for a turn key software developer, feel free to schedule a free first consultation.
The Good Coder helped PairTree transform the recruitment process with a groundbreaking matching platform.
The Vision Behind PairTree
PairTree aimed to disrupt the recruitment industry by creating an automated platform that matches employee skills with employer requirements—saving time, reducing manual effort, and ensuring no valuable candidates are overlooked.
The Challenge: Overcoming Technical and Business Hurdles
Manual CV processing was the industry standard, but PairTree needed a web-based system that was aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and powerful enough to make accurate matches in record time.
The Solution: The Good Coder’s Strategic Approach
Phase 1: Diagnostics and Blueprinting
The Good Coder conducted a comprehensive diagnostics phase, identifying risks, clarifying integration requirements, and defining an architectural roadmap for PairTree’s long-term success.
Phase 2: UI/UX Design and Collaboration
Working with Stratusolve, The Good Coder helped create PairTree’s brand identity. Using Adobe XD, high-fidelity mockups and detailed user flows were designed and tested to ensure an intuitive user experience.
Phase 3: The Coding Phase
The development team focused on building a robust matching algorithm and user-friendly interface. By breaking the project into manageable components, The Good Coder ensured smooth progress and rapid delivery.
Phase 4: Project Management, Maintenance, and Enhancement
The Good Coder managed timelines, coordinated communication, and provided continuous support after launch. Monthly feature updates ensured the platform remained innovative and adaptive to PairTree’s evolving needs.
Results: Saving Time and Automating Recruitment
With automated matching, dashboards, and real-time reports, PairTree now streamlines recruitment processes while planning future innovations with data-driven insights.
Conclusion: Leading the Way in Recruitment Innovation
PairTree exemplifies the power of automation to transform industries. With The Good Coder’s expertise, the platform is a game-changer in recruitment, delivering value to both employers and candidates.
Ready to bring your ideas to life? Let The Good Coder help you transform your vision into reality.
Profitability through Performance: Empowering the Mining Sector with Data-Driven Solutions
In the mining sector, where vast operations require careful management, profitability is the ultimate measure of success. Mining companies face enormous expenses and revenues, and the key to sustaining profitability lies in effective management of both staff and equipment. Ensuring that vehicles are running smoothly and that personnel are operating efficiently can have a direct impact on the bottom line.
Historically, mining operations have generated a wealth of data, but making sense of that data has often been a challenge. The complexity of operations and the number of factors at play made it difficult to extract actionable insights from this wealth of information.
At The Good Coder, we believe that when data is used for good, it can transform industries and positively impact communities. That’s why we partnered with Advanced Vehicle Analytics (AVA) to help them unlock the power of their data and use it to improve both profitability and sustainability in the mining sector.
The Challenge: Turning Data into Actionable Insights
AVA, with its extensive experience in open-cast mining, faced a significant challenge—how to simplify and make sense of the vast amounts of data being generated by mining equipment and processes. New technological advancements, such as tracking mining equipment’s fuel usage, engine performance, and maintenance schedules, were crucial, but the data needed to be extracted and managed without disrupting the ongoing mining activities.
The goal was to collect vital intelligence without affecting current output, ensuring minimal impact on daily operations.
Planning and Solutioning: A Vision for Simplified, Meaningful Data
The Good Coder worked closely with AVA to craft a solution that would help them unlock the value in their data, simplifying it in a way that would be easy for mining managers to interpret and act on. By applying our expertise in business analysis, UX/UI design, and technology integration, we were able to design a streamlined solution that met their needs.
The diagnostics phase identified the following critical components for success:
Real-Time Tracking: The ability to track vehicles in real-time was essential to ensure efficient operations.
Alerts and Notifications: Alerts via SMS and email would notify mining managers if KPIs or output levels weren’t being met, empowering them to make quick decisions.
Visual Replay of Activities: A feature that would allow mining managers to visually replay mining activity to assess performance and identify inefficiencies.
Issue Tracking: The ability to explore existing data to pinpoint where processes went wrong.
Visual Maps and Dashboards: Displaying data on maps of the mine, allowing managers to track all activities in real-time on intuitive dashboards.
The Design Process: Creating an Intuitive, Impactful Experience
Our design approach was rooted in creating a solution that would empower mining managers with the information they needed without overwhelming them. By simplifying complex data into visual elements that were easy to interpret, we ensured that the solution was not only functional but also user-friendly.
The scope of our work focused on the diagnostic phase and UX/UI design. This included:
Requirement Gathering: Understanding the technical and business requirements that would make the solution successful.
Domain Knowledge: Gaining deep insight into the mining industry’s challenges and the processes that would benefit from this solution.
User Role Analysis: Defining the different personas who would use the software and their goals.
User Process Flows: Mapping out the workflows to ensure the solution would be intuitive and efficient.
The deliverables provided to AVA included a blueprint that outlined the project in detail, including:
Personas: The different users and their goals.
User Stories: Narratives that outlined how users would interact with the system.
Wireframes and High-Fidelity Mockups: Detailed designs of the user interface to guide development.
Visual Elements and Controls: Icons, fonts, colors, and CSS to ensure a cohesive and visually appealing design.
Results: A Data-Driven Solution That’s Expanding Globally
The Good Coder’s work resulted in a comprehensive document that provided the detailed findings, personas, process flows, and visual assets needed to guide the software development process. As of 2020, the solution is fully operational, and AVA now serves clients across South Africa, Australia, and beyond.
The solution has continued to grow, with additional analytics becoming crucial to AVA’s services. As AVA expands into the Internet of Things (IoT), they now offer clients a holistic view of their mining operations, allowing them to track and optimize every aspect of their business.
Conclusion: Making Sense of Data for a Better Tomorrow
The blueprint The Good Coder delivered played a pivotal role in the success of AVA’s solution. By simplifying the vast amounts of data generated by mining operations, we enabled AVA to offer a solution that is not only easily navigable but also rich with actionable insights.
In an industry as complex as mining, simplifying data is essential for increasing profitability while maintaining operational efficiency. Through data-driven insights and user-centric design, AVA is now able to help mining companies improve performance, save costs, and ultimately, contribute to a more sustainable and profitable future.
At The Good Coder, we are committed to leveraging technology for good—helping businesses transform their data into meaningful, impactful solutions that make a positive difference in the world.
Marshi empowers users to engage with advertisements in a way that benefits them directly. Users earn free data by answering simple questions after interacting with ads. This data can be exchanged for valuable rewards like electricity vouchers or used to browse freely using the Marshi browser. The Good Coder’s approach helped bring this user-centric, innovative platform to life.
The Challenge: Overcoming Technical and Business Hurdles
Marshi needed to partner with mobile network providers to offer free data to users. The Good Coder tackled this and other technical barriers by creating a seamless data tracking, reporting, and API integration system.
The Solution: The Good Coder’s Strategic Approach
Phase 1: Diagnostics and Blueprinting
The Good Coder began with a thorough diagnostics phase, setting clear business and technical goals. We identified potential risks, outlined integration requirements, and made informed architectural choices to support Marshi’s long-term success.
Phase 2: UI/UX Design and Collaboration
With high-fidelity mockups provided by Marshi’s design agency, The Good Coder’s team implemented detailed process flows using Adobe XD to ensure a smooth user experience.
Phase 3: The Coding Phase
The Good Coder’s team focused on building infrastructure for tracking, analysis, and logging. By breaking the features into manageable components, we identified and solved critical challenges, particularly with third-party API and network integrations.
Phase 4: Project Management, Maintenance, and Enhancement
After launching Marshi a month ahead of schedule, The Good Coder continued to provide ongoing support, ensuring the platform’s growth and evolution with new features added each month.
Results: Rapid Growth and Meaningful Impact
Marshi launched a month ahead of schedule and reached 10,000 users in the first month. With dashboards and reports, Marshi’s team can monitor ad performance, user engagement, and business health, all while planning for future data-driven innovations.
The Future of Marshi: Data Commoditization
As Marshi grows, the ability to mine data and analyze user behavior opens up new opportunities for growth and refinement. The platform’s integration with mobile network providers has set a precedent for how data can be monetized in innovative and user-beneficial ways.
Conclusion: Embracing Disruptive Innovation
In a world dominated by profit-driven models, Marshi is a shining example of how technology can be used for good. By commoditising data, Marshi allows users to earn valuable rewards, creating a win-win scenario that benefits all parties.
Ready to bring your ideas to life? Let The Good Coder help you transform your vision into reality.
