A look behind the scenesOur developers share all the ins & outs of the new app

…developers Xander Koenen & Diederik van Hoek, also called “Died and Xan” by the team. Diederik managed the whole process of building and testing the new app together with a development team in Serbia. Unfortunately, this did not go without a hitch: “The collaboration with the team in Serbia was quite difficult in the beginning: the distance, cultural differences and time pressure were a bit more daunting than we initially thought.” At the same time, Xander worked on the design of the app with Graphic Designer Duncan. Luckily this collaboration went a 100x better than they imagined: “Duncan is a keeper”, Xander says proudly.

One of the many new features, one that Diederik is especially proud of, is the booking system for a fixed babysitter: “It is a difficult function to make comprehensible to both Angel and parent.” Fixed bookings are highly customised. Each parent has different personal circumstances and wishes, but has to take into account as well that a fixed babysitter requires a lot of flexibility, because of things such as legislation & changing study schedules.

Soooo… What exactly is so great about the new fixed booking system? “The great thing is that Angels can now make a counteroffer. Before, it was all or nothing. We also used to see that an Angel declined a request for 12 consecutive weeks super quickly, because the Angel was often not available for the full 12 weeks because of, for example, exams. Now, she can indicate that she is available 11 out of 12 weeks. This has drastically improved the ease of use for both parents as well as Angels.”

The app project wasn’t always fun and games though: “It has definitely been a bumpy road now and then, when we severely underestimated the planning and the amount of work”, says Xander thoughtfully. “Especially the testing of the new app was disappointing at times. Because of the complexity of the platform, the project took way longer than we previously thought.” However, the calm of Diederik and the optimism of Xander have made the project a success: “By giving it their best shot every day, by continuing to build the app, they have really done us a solid in the end.” No lack of perseverance here.

We hear from many parents and Angels that the Jobfinder, an idea of Xander’s, is a great invention. But when we compliment Xander on his idea, he coolly says “Well I had already had the idea to add some sort of bulletin board to the app for a while, like putting up notes at the supermarket. But we couldn’t find a good form to implement this tool.” Nothing turned out to be less true.

What exactly is the Jobfinder? “The Jobfinder is sort of the reverse version of finding a babysitter, because it is searching for a job. It’s all in the name. In the Jobfinder, the babysitter can see which parents are looking for a babysitter, and she will then have the option to offer her services. The parent can then accept or decline the Angel’s offer. In practice, we’ve learned that bookings get filled way more quickly because of this.”

When we ask the guys what they are most proud of, Xander answers with a smile: “I really can’t choose between features, each and every one has their own function and use. I’ll just choose the overall design, which is, in my opinion, clean and user friendly.” Yes, the new app is looking very fine indeed.

Done is done, you think? No way! The new app might be live, but they are not taking a break: “We are still constantly testing, improving and expanding the app. It will become a more and more refined app.” So, plenty of plans for the future. Stay tuned!