Last month was very exciting, as I completed my first commercial experience using the React Native Framework !
React Native allows you to create one mobile app that works for both iOS and Android. Its popularity is on the rise as it uses the widespread principles of ReactJS, and moreover mobile app development is also in high demand.
This job was all about creating user interfaces from design, so pixel perfect code and smooth animations were in order. I used the following to get my work done:
- Styled components
- React Native animated API
- Typescript
- Expo
- Prettier VSCode plugin to tidy up
- Adobe XD
I spent most of my time building clean, efficient components (from titles to interactive timelines, galleries or call to action buttons). But I also left my bubble making the overall experience smooth by preloading images, or ensuring compability of the app between iOS and Android (Touchables for example). It was a great experience because I helped planning out the building of the front-end: before you even write a single line of code, you must use pen and paper to organize how the components and sub-components (reusables like simple buttons or icons) are going to be laid out, and what type of properties they are going to take in. Keeping the XD file close at hand was definitely helpful, as the UX and Design work will keep you from wandering out of scope.
This contract was a sweet but unfortunately short one. It left me feeling a bit frustrated, because there was a still a lot to get done on the app. But the client was already overshooting the budget and decided to cut the costs. These things happen all the time.
I am already back to work on my React Native project, which is TV Show related… more on that in another blog post.