After AppCamp: An Interview with Stephen Brown

Kainos AppCamp can be both amazing and frustrating in equal measures. On the one hand we receive hundreds of quality applications from bright and enthusiastic students, and they pitch some really creative and truly brilliant app ideas. On the other hand, we have to pick just 5 students to progress to the finals, in which they develop and launch their apps on the App Store. The difficult part is having to lose some talented students, but there can only be one winner! It's a bit like X Factor without the tears, emotional VT's and Louis Walsh.

Whether an individual makes it to the finals or not, we're confident that they take away with them the knowledge and skills to design and code apps in their own time, and the passion to create something that will truly benefit the end user. That's what AppCamp's all about.

We caught up with Stephen Brown, an AppCamper from this year's competition, to ask him about his Kainos AppCamp experience and the app he developed and launched outside of the programme, BMI Me.

University and degree:

Queens University Belfast - Software Engineering

What interests you most about mobile development?

Mobile development allows me to express my creativity through the design of the application. Through the Apple App Store, mobile developers can connect with a large user base and potentially have the world as an audience; they are only limited by their own creativity. I thoroughly enjoy the problem solving aspect associated with mobile development because I feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when the problem is resolved.

Would you recommend Kainos AppCamp to university undergrads?

I would highly recommend the Kainos AppCamp experience.

How did you find the two week iOS training course?

The two week training course I felt was very beneficial. It was intense but highly rewarding! I have learnt more about programming in the two weeks at Kainos than I did from my whole first year at University.

How challenging was it to develop your app solo after the experience you gained during the two weeks?

After the two weeks I wanted to further enhance my knowledge and understanding of iOS development, so I decided to read two books in my spare time. This reading, along with the training provided by the Kainos mentors gave me the confidence to develop my own application, without any major problems.

We're thrilled that you continued to develop a healthcare app outside the programme. Did AppCamp influence your decision to continue down this route?

During my two weeks at AppCamp the focus was on healthcare and I was exposed to healthcare professionals who came and spoke about certain health issues. I just decided to keep the focus on healthcare due to the knowledge I obtained at Kainos.

We're impressed with the quality of your app, BMI Me. Why did you choose to develop this and how do you think it will benefit the end user?

I decided to develop BMI Me because I was unable to find a simple and quick app that allowed BMI readings based on different measurements. I was fed up downloading competing apps and being constrained to one measurement of input. This is why BMI Me caters for a large range of measurement inputs, whether it be feet, stones, metres, pounds or kilograms. I wanted an app that allowed the user to decide how they input the data and also it aids the user's convenience.

Do you have any plans to extend the app's functionality in upcoming releases?

Yes, currently I am in development of BMI Me version 2 which will allow the user to track their BMI over a period of time.

Have you thought about creating your app for other platforms?

This is something that I would be highly interested in doing, especially with the imminent launch of Windows Mobile 8. I would also like to develop and launch an Android version in the near future due to the growing user base of the platform.

Do you have any plans to release other apps in the future?

Yes, Version 2 of BMI Me is well into development so keep an eye out!

What's the best way of following your progress with current and new projects?

Following me @iSteveyBrown will allow you to stay up to date on all my latest projects. Don't be afraid to drop me a tweet!