Gemma Lara Savill
Embrace change and leverage new technology to reach your goals
By Gemma Lara Savill
Published at March 23, 2024
Break the Status Quo while focusing on your goals
In the early days of my web development journey, I discovered a core truth about the internet: it's constantly evolving. Every week brought new advancements – faster methods, better tools, and a wider range of options to cater to diverse needs.
The important takeaway from navigating this whirlwind of technological advancements is to focus on your core goal. Make sure you know what your mission is. This way, you can jump on all the new tech trains you can, and leverage change to break the status quo and grow your business at the same time.
Let's take a look at an example: Nintendo
Nintendo began selling Japanese playing cards in 1889. First, they started producing handmade cards, then adopted the printing press, and later on they pioneered into the production of plastic cards. Nintendo later evolved into commercial electronic toys, then video games, in all the new formats that have been created: hand-held LCD devices, TV consoles, then cloud-based, to breakthrough cloud apps like Pokémon Go.
Nintendo has maintained and grown its client base because it has always maintained a clear goal: to enable people to play. They have then leveraged every technology at hand to fulfill their mission, and it has been a success.
A clear mission acts as your compass, allowing you to strategically adopt new technologies and leverage change to disrupt the market and fuel your business growth.
Other businesses haven't been as successful in adopting change, like encyclopedia sellers or video rental chains. Maybe their goals were technology-centric, and their businesses died out with the tech that supported them.
Leverage technology change to reach your goals
My focus on building mobile apps has always been very user-centric. My mission would be to empower my users and keep things simple, like magic. Two main mantras that are always on my mind: make me amazing & simplify my life. Changes to the Android app platform also come to mind.
Like a Nintendo card evolving from wood to plastic, an Android app of mine from 2010 and one from 2024 will have the same intention behind it, but the tech inside is different:
- 2010 app written in Java, 2024 app written in Kotlin
- 2010 app UI in XML - 2024 app UI written in Jetpack Compose
- The IDE we used back then, Eclipse, vs what we use now, Android Studio, is also different.
And this is never ending, now Kotlin brings us Kotlin Multi-Platform and Compose UI for desktop. We have moved well beyond mobile phones. Now we have tablets, foldable devices, wearables, Android Automotive, Android TV, etc.
Many developer discussions, I've noticed, become overly focused on the minutiae of the codebase. This can lead to debates about language specifics or changes that have minimal impact on the user experience or the company's goals. In these cases, the bigger picture sometimes gets lost.
Things change, innovation is constant, and user delight is timeless. So integrate data, embrace the cloud, leverage AI – all to empower exceptional user experiences. Eyes on the prize.
Stay agile, harness the latest tech to chase your dreams, and adapt to conquer your goals. Tech up and goal on!
