My First Major Milestone: A Solo App Development Journey
Welcome to a special post on my blog, where I delve into the creation of my first significant solo app development project for Cernícalo Producciones. This project was not just a technological endeavor, but a fusion of my dual passions: coding and music.
The App: A Passion-Fueled Journey in Digital Storytelling
Being entrusted with the development of an app for Cernícalo Producciones, winners of Peru's Ministry of Culture's Innovate contest, was an amazing opportunity. My role was to digitally bring to life the extensive mapping of Peru's musical venues, meticulously conducted by the Cernícalo team. This challenge resonated deeply with my love for both technology and music, driving me to exert myself more than ever to showcase my skills and the possibilities of the technologies I had learned. During this project, I discovered my fondness for user interfaces and application design, spending countless hours refining details and seeking the most creative ways to present information and solve emerging challenges. I didn't work with a design team, so I created and imagined all the solutions for the app, having only an Excel-like data of all the visited venues. It was a process of trial and error, constantly iterating and refining the user experience to ensure a seamless and intuitive interface. Despite the challenges, this solo app development journey allowed me to grow as a developer in ways I never imagined.
Building the App: Angular and Firebase
The app, a full-stack development using Angular with Firebase as the backend, was designed to allow users to filter and view various musical venues based on cities, musical styles, and more. The main challenge was transforming a wealth of structured data into an attractive and engaging visual presentation, drawing inspiration from the now-defunct Google app Touring Bird, still accessible via the Web Archive.
More Than Code: A Journey of Passion and Detail
The development process was a deep dive into JavaScript and Angular, pushing my skills to new heights. I infused the app with creative elements, like a pseudo-chat feature, echoing the emerging AI chat technologies of 2023 and drawing inspiration from tools like Google Duo, which I remember observing and testing in great detail and fascination at that time. Looking back, the most exhilarating aspect was the passion and attention to detail that went into every part of this app. I recall staying up late, working on parts that, while not crucial to the app's functionality, were the ones I loved the most and what motivated me to keep moving forward. One night, I decided to move the top navigation bar to the footer for easier user access. At that time, I wasn't as proficient in CSS, didn't use libraries like Tailwind CSS, or have access to autocompletion tools like those available now, and it was memorable to achieve this and create a smooth and pleasant transition for the user.
fyi: the logo above it's not deformed, I add an animaiton and the screenshot it's in the middle of the animation process. 😛
The Road Ahead
The presentation of this app at the Ministry of Culture in Peru was not just a showcase of the application but also an in-depth discussion of the stack, architecture, and the real-time database functionality of Firebase. This experience paved the way for my future projects, including a second version of 'Giramos' as a native app developed with Flutter, which I'll discuss in an upcoming post.
Today it's still possible to visit the original app published on the web on this link. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Stay tuned for more stories where technology meets music in my world.