Hiring the right developer for your startup can be wearying. In this bitesized Garage Academy session, Ben Cheng, CEO of Oursky will provide you with all the tips for hiring your first developer -- from app development team structure to recruitment to management. About the speaker: Ben Cheng is the CEO of Oursky, a Hong Kong-based app dev studio that helps entrepreneurs and startups turn their ideas into reality. He has driven the company’s vision, strategy, and growth since its inception in 2008, and grown the technology-driven team from 3 to over 40 in Hong Kong and Taipei. ABOUT OURSKY: Founded in 2008, Oursky has developed web & mobile apps for startups and enterprises such as ASOS and Thomson Reuters. In 2015, 60% of Oursky's published iOS apps were featured in Apple's App Store and one was selected as a Best of 2013 App.

1. A guide to hiring a great
developer to build your
first app

4. Overall App
Development Process

5. The Big picture
Design Develop Deliver

6. The Big picture
Design Develop Deliver
• User Story
• Wireframe
• Design
• Interactive Prototype
• Usability Test
• Define resources
• In-house/out-source
• Tech architecture
• QA
• Publishing
• Analytics
• Error Tracking

7. The Big picture
Design Develop Deliver
• UI / UX Designer • Frontend Developer
• Backend Developer
• (QA)
• (Product Owner)
• (Project Manager)
(role) = You!

8. UI / UX Designer
• User Story => Wireframe
• Wireframe => Mockup Designs, Visuals
• Interactive Prototype, Hallway Testing

9. Project Manager / CTO
• Define schedule, communicate with users,
product owner, and business unit.
• Pick the right tech stack
• Protect developers from interference on iteration
(more on this later)

10. Developers
• Fullstack vs Frontend / Backend
• Specific skills? (AI / Blockchain / Big Data)
• What exactly is “great” developers?

11. Identify good
developers

12. 7 types of developer
• The “VP”
• Coding School Cowboy
• “The Experienced Old-man”
• Harecore Geeks
• Evangelist
• Theoretician
• The Rockstar

13. How do we interview?
• Remote Coding Test
• Ensure basic coding skills to reduce our workload
• Technical Questions, assess competency at:
• Basic Algorithm and Data Structure
• Basic Network and Web
• Server side knowledge
• Others
• Pair-Coding / Take home exercise
• See how things work out in real life.
• Practical iOS / Android / Web specific problems solving.

14. Algorithm and Data
Structure
• <Interview question redacted>
• Simple algo / data structure questions
• Avoid asking textbook questions

15. Network and Web
• <Interview question redacted>
• Ask questions about things web framework
encapsulated

16. Server side knowledge
• <Interview question redacted>
• Ask for experience, concept of how to design
a stateless services, etc.

17. Others
• Languages specific: Javascript’s closure
problem
• Deployment: Horizontal scaling strategy
• etc…

18. Project Management
Best Practices

19. Best Practices for PM
• Data-driven Features / Bugs Iteration
• Choices of Programming Languages
• Your own stack vs Wordpress / Drupal / CMS
• Your own stack vs Firebase / Lambda / Auth0 /
Urban-airship or Skygear :)

20. The Joel Test
1. Do you use source control?
2. Can you make a build in one step?
3. Do you make daily builds?
4. Do you have a bug database?
5. Do you fix bugs before writing new code?
6. Do you have an up-to-date schedule?
https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/08/09/the-joel-test-12-steps-to-better-code/

21. The Joel Test (cont.)
1. Do you have a spec?
2. Do programmers have quiet working conditions?
3. Do you use best tools money can buy?
4. Do you have testers?
5. Do new candidates write code during their
interview?
6. Do you do hallway usability testing?

22. Crazy, huh?

23. Skygear Partners Programme
• Skygear - Serverless Platform to help developers
focus on frontend and UX
• User Auth / CloudDB / Push / CMS / Real-time
Sync / Chat / Cloud Functions
• Skygear Partners are managed vendors to build
web / mobile / IoT applications!

24. Q&A
• Ben Cheng bencheng@oursky.com
• Contact us if you’re interested in building your
app with us!
• hello@oursky.com