3 Lessons I’ve Learnt from the DSC Solutions Challenge 2020
The results of the DSC Solutions Challenge 2020 winners have finally been released and I could not be more grateful for such an experience. Unfortunately, my team did not make it to the top 10 but I would just like to share some golden nuggets I took away from this contest.
So, first things first…
What is the DSC Solutions Challenge?
The Solutions Challenge is an annual global contest hosted by the Developer Student Clubs (DSC). The goal is to invite students to develop solutions to solve problems in their country using Google technology.
What was our solution?
Our solution was to develop a CoVID-19 self-diagnosis app that could help inform Filipinos if they potentially contract the virus or not. The aim was to give them access to ways to legitimately test it by connecting them to medical professionals or suggesting them to do self-quarantine.
The app had 4 features: a health check-up form to be filled out by the user, a search hospital feature to find the closest hospital to the user, a book an appointment feature to book appointments with medial professionals and finally, a personal profile where the user’s answers are dynamically saved to their account so when they visit the hospital, they show their answers/symptoms to the doctor immediately.
The app was developed using Flutter and Firebase to store user data.
Here are the 3 things I learned from the DSC Solutions Challenge:
Make a project timeline.
My teammates and I were far apart and due to CoVID-19, we realized that meeting up to discuss the project would not be possible for a long time. This made it harder for us to communicate and beat deadlines. Before we knew it, we rushed to finish the project.
This is when a project timeline comes in to avoid procrastinating and annoying questions like “Are we on track to meet the deadline?”. And lucky for us, there are many free tools available online to allow us to track our progress.
Here are some links to easy and free project timeline tools I have gathered:
Research, research FIRST.
Our aim was to get the app out as fast as possible since CoVID-19 was just starting to peak in the Philippines. But due to the outbreak, we found out last minute that the App Store wouldn’t publish any apps unless it was certified by the national Department of Health. This eventually delayed our project even more as we took more time to resolve this issue.
I cannot emphasize the importance of research enough when considering developing your own app. Aside from Googling whether such an app exists or not, it’s important to ensure that your app will be efficient and that users would choose to use them in the first place. And in order to achieve this, it is best to prepare a set of questions to answer:
- Who will be your target audience? How will you reach them?
- Who are your key stakeholders?
- What would your elevator pitch be?
- What do professionals have to say about this idea?
- Is your app ethical? Will it benefit the community?
- What framework is best to develop this app?
Interview as many professionals as you can.
Throughout the development process, we dedicated some time to interview some doctors that were knowledgeable with the virus. After talking to several professionals, we were advised by doctors at the end of the dev process that the app may lead to overcrowding at hospitals as users could easily misdiagnosis themselves. Again, this delayed our project.
Getting feedback is universally known to be essential when it comes to project management. But it doesn’t always have to come at the end of the development process. And who would be best to get honest feedback but from professionals, especially in the case of a healthcare app!
When picking which user to interview, always consider your stakeholders. This should’ve already been identified during your research step. In our case, they were doctors, nurses, and the general public. Your goal would be better to understand the problem at stake and to identify the needs of your user. A maximum of 5 users is sufficient to interview as it will get you to 80% of the needs and problems.
Finally, you should always have a script or a set of questions prepared to ask. Here’s an example:
- Start with a 1 to 2 minute summary about what your app is, what the features are, and who the target audience is.
- Tell them the goal you would like to achieve with this app.
- Dive into the questions! Here are some questions you could ask to best identify their needs:
- Which feature would you find least useful?
- What features would you want to find?
- Would you use this app? Would you recommend it to others (in our case, their patients)?
4. Close the discussion by asking if they have any final questions or feedback.
5. Thank them for taking the time to talk with you.
I hope this article helped you plan your next steps in developing your own amazing idea. It could be overwhelming but do not forget to enjoy the process with your team because it will all be worth it in the end!
Once again, congratulations to all winners of Solutions Challenge 2020! I cannot wait for the next challenge in 2021.
