When the Apple 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off on June 22 in a new virtual format, a global community of 23 million developers will have the opportunity to join from around the world for free through the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website. Now in its 31st year, WWDC20 will bring together the largest group of innovators and entrepreneurs ever assembled to connect, share, and create.
Among them will be 350 Swift Student Challenge winners from 41 different countries and regions. The students were chosen based on their original Swift playground submission, part of Apple’s annual WWDC student challenge, which recognizes and celebrates the next generation of coders and creators.
The winners include six individuals from the Middle East including Omar Alweheshy, Omar Nader, Hassan El Desouky, and Mohamed Salah who are all from Egypt, Mishaal Kandapath from Kuwait, and Peter Yaacoub from Lebanon.
Omar Alweheshy, winner from Egypt: Ever since starting his coding journey at the age of nine, Omar Alweheshy wanted to achieve something with his coding knowledge. He shares “when Apple created the Swift Student Challenge I didn’t think twice before registering. But I never thought for a second that I would win, I just wanted to overcome my fear by participating and submitting the best I can.’’ He excitedly comments “Going to WWDC will always be a dream for me but I am so happy to be part of the winners this year, this is a big milestone and recognition for me as everything I know, I have learned on my own.“
Peter Yaacoub, winner from Lebanon: “I feel proud to be amongst the winners from all over the world. I initially applied to Swift Student Challenge because I believed I had enough experience to be at a level to compete with others and show my talent. It’s truly a testament to see that when you practice and do something you love, you can thrive and achieve the goals you never thought you could.”
Hassan El Desouky, winner from Egypt: Hassan El Desouky, an Egyptian engineering student says “it’s easy for everyone to start with Swift but it is hard to reach an advanced level without proper support, this is why it is important for me to teach younger generations about programming so they don’t face the challenges I faced.” On winning the Swift Student Challenge, Hassan shares “one of my dearest wishes was to one day attend WWDC in person. Being part of the winners this year feels like half of my wish came true.”
App Development Tips:
App developers are becoming the leaders of the online world with new creative solutions and innovations being released for everyone to enjoy. In the Middle East, the developer community is slowly but surely growing with new faces emerging every day. From service apps such as Careem or Talabat, to online shopping like Ounass and Namshi, these apps have come to add value and entertainment to our lives.
For those interested in developing an app – below are the top tips from pro app developers on how to build a successful app today.
Tip 1: Be Passionate and be willing to fail.
Make sure you’re doing something you’re truly interested and invested in, and mostly, good at. More importantly, keep in mind that you might fail on the first go, but you need to learn from every mistake to create a successful app.
Tip 2: Understand the platform you are developing your application on.
If you understand the capabilities of iOS for example, you are better equipped to take right decisions. For example, the beauty of developing for iOS platform is the uniformity of it. Once you get it right on either iPhone or iPad, you’re set. You should utilize the different features offered on the iOS system so you can understand user behavior.
Tip 3: Be organized. Celebrate the small wins
Take it one step at a time, make your lists, and break down the tasks you need to do for a project. The more focus you have on short term goals, the more progress you will see taking place.
Tip 4: Keep it simple.
Design for a great user experience, code for continuous development, and start of by building a minimal viable product first. Stick to the minimum requirements for your first release so you can get the initial round of feedback and testing. Once you have that ready, take the most non-technical friend or family member you have and watch them work the app. Is it intuitive? What is the user experience like?
Tip 5: Stay up to date with the learning tools.
You never stop learning. If you are new to the iOS platform, start using the latest programming language and learn to write code that works and is tested on all supported devices. Once you’ve done that, design a layout that is adaptive and fluid.
Tip 6: Test, test, test.
Apply a solid testing methodology whether it’s automated, using focus groups, or otherwise. The standard goal is: does your app meet the requirements when used by your friends and the outside community?
Tip 7: Focus on one segment.
The biggest design mistake app developers make is trying to fit too many features at the same time. Your app should have a focused purpose.
