From Idea to Idea App in 3 Days Flat
Hacking together an idea at the WeTransfer Hackathon
Read this post on our new engineering blog!
It started with a meta-moment late at night. As I do often, I was listening to a podcast to try to get to sleep. In this case, The Anthropocene Reviewed, where the author John Green reviews “facets of the human-centered planet,” basically rating everyday-objects, art, history, or just about anything else on a 5-star scale. His voice is deep and soothing, but his way of looking at the world is perhaps a bit too engaging; that is, when you’re trying to doze off.
In an episode titled “Notes App and Sports Rivalries” as the title implies, Green rated the iPhone Notes App (4 stars) and the entire concept of sports rivalries (3 stars). His reviews are usually poetic, personal, and free-form. As a developer, and general nerd, I was really curious to hear where his musings on the Notes App would take him.
Green, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, sounds like a Notes App power-user. Constantly jotting things down to himself for future use, he uses his Notes App both like a sketch pad to quickly capture snippets of prose and a staging area for new ideas. His problem, however, is the familiar experience of finding a note to yourself and forgetting what it was you were on about.
“They’re painting the ceiling of the Rijksmuseum?” he asked himself in one note. “Were they painting the ceiling of the Rijksmuseum? Or did I think that was a good line for a story? I have no idea.” Of course, for us Amsterdammers, we remember the 10 years the museum was being renovated, with many a ceiling painted; but whatever inspired John Green to jot that in his Notes App will never be known, and perhaps an entire thread in a novel gone along with.
The night I was listening to this podcast, I had an idea. What if there was a better way for catching those quick one-off ideas than the Notes App? And, what if the app did as much as it could to help the John Greens of the world place themselves back where they were, so a good idea wouldn’t go lost.
Having nowhere better to write it, I fired up my Notes App and wrote “Idea catcher app” with no other context.
Fortunately, I’d remember what I meant. A few days later, WeTransfer had set aside 3-days for its first-ever “Hackathon,” a chance to push boundaries, pitch new ideas, and work with new colleagues on quick, innovative projects. I pitched an “idea catcher,” and thankfully, a small group thought it was a good idea and joined in.
The clock was ticking from the very start. Our team had just the right number of ingredients: a UX-designer, two iOS developers, and me, a web developer and designer. The idea felt just ambitious enough to push us toward a working prototype without it being too simple that the final product wouldn’t pack a punch. We wanted quick entry of new ideas (including via Siri and watchOS and as much context as we could muster attached to each note. Design-wise, we were shooting for simple, without it looking too basic.
The development team put in long hours. The designs went through multiple iterations with big questions looming like “if you know the weather and where the note was written, will that actually help you remember it?” Our original logo (this abstract catcher’s mitt thing) was objectively pretty bad, but we convinced ourselves it worked, what with the lack of time.
In just three days, we managed to prep a working v1.0, complete with a working watchOS entry, a full demo presentation, and even a fake promotional website with the incredibly boutique domain catchdotcom.website.
To me, it showed the power of focus. With a new team that had never worked together before, when singularly focused, tasks that would normally take weeks or be slowed by indecision, could take just hours. And, at the end of the Hackathon, Catch was born.
WeTransfer strives to spark the creative process, both with its products and in-house, for its employees.
From "Innovation" days and Hackathons to dedicated resources for L&D, like the dynamic wallpapers we build, our people are rarely sitting still. WeTransfer’s next Hackathon is this week already and I’m really looking forward to it, because I’ve got an app full of ideas just waiting to get out!
Related articles
- Save for now. Get to it later
Never stress about expired links again. Discover how WeTransfer's ‘save for later’ feature lets you store and access important files whenever you need them.
- Unleashing our next era of growth, with Bending Spoons
WeTransfer joins the Bending Spoons portfolio of digital businesses
- Share big files from the same place you create them
WeTransfer Teams Up with Adobe to streamline content sharing with new add-on for Adobe Express
- Being the best we can B
How our business is helping us make an impact—and why we’re letting the world know all about it.
- Behind the scenes with WeTransfer and Tribeca Festival
Why we partnered with the iconic film festival for our latest short film launch
- Get Partner Perks with WeTransfer: Unlocking Creativity Together
New partner benefits and discounts exclusively for WeTransfer Pro subscribers
- Set a price, share your work, and get paid with WeTransfer
Introducing a simpler way to get paid for client work and make money from your creativity
- “Move it like a Pro” campaign highlights simple tools that help creators
A behind the scenes look into WeTransfer's latest brand campaign
- New Rules: Inspiring creatives at a difficult time
We’ve launched a guide to help photographers navigate an industry in flux
- Creating a world? Join our new research project
Submit your projects to get published in our new memo, take part in our research and get paid for doing it.
- Making a difference together
Five ways we balance people, planet and profit
- Everyone’s Business: Shaping a More Responsible Advertising Future
As the industry moves forward in its effort towards responsible advertising, let’s discuss what it is, what we’ve been doing so far, and what we can continue doing together.
- Our security standard
WeTransfer achieved ISO 27001 certification
- Studio Lab 2022: Snapping back at unconscious bias
Take a conscious trip into awareness with Snap Who. A psychedelic, mind-expanding experience from WeTransfer’s creative studio.
- Designing Ads for All
WeTransfer Advertising is committed to accessibility. Here’s why.
- Indigenous knowledge is crucial to the future of humanity
The O futuro é indígena (the Future is Indigenous) project serves to remind people about the critical importance of indigenous communities across Brazil
- Talk to the Moon: one giant leap for WeTransfer
The story of Talk to the Moon: a wonderfully strange AI experience, brought to life on WeTransfer
- Why we’re giving everyone at WeTransfer Fridays off over the summer
Introducing WeTransfer Time Off: summer edition, with every full Friday during July and August granted as a day off, without changing our work patterns Monday to Thursday or adjusting compensation and benefits
- Season 4 roundup - Influence Podcast
During this season we talk to UK-based fashion designer Harris Reed and Oscar-winning actor, writer, producer and musician Riz Ahmed, plus more
- Season 3 roundup - Influence Podcast
Throughout this season Damian chats to Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield and explores what happened behind closed doors at Cambridge Analytica, plus much more
- Season 2 roundup - Influence Podcast
During this season we explore the complexity of being black in America, non verbal communication, plus more
- Season 1 roundup - Influence Podcast
influence-podcast-by-wetransfer-season-1
- B-eing better is no longer optional
As we publish our second Responsible Business Report, we look at what we have accomplished so far and where we are heading, so we can keep striving to make an even bigger impact
- Behind the B: Storytelling with WePresent
WePresent features unexpected stories about creativity from all over the world. Here’s how we ensure we’re being as representative, supportive and authentic as possible
- Behind the B: celebrating B Corp month
In honor of B Lab’s B Corp month we’re inviting you Behind the B (and, er, the We) to find out what keeps us motivated to be a better, more sustainable business - spoiler alert, it’s you.
- Better Business: what 2021 taught us
WeTransfer has been doing good for over a decade and a B Corp for more than a year now and here’s what we’ve learned along the way
- Better together
The Climate Emergency is everyone’s problem
- When sustainability is measurable, it's a game changer
The SDG Lions Grand Prix winner as a force for transparency in the world of consumption
- Leading the way
Our first responsible business report launches today
- We’re launching our next act
Supporting the next generation of creatives