AirShare UAV Hub - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

I have been a software engineer and a web developer before taking on management roles.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

The novelty of what we are trying to do is exciting and challenging at the same time, as it's the case for every innovative product. The UAV and drone technology is advancing at breakneck speed, and therefore our requirements and our understanding of user needs are changing rapidly, and we have to be able to adjust to create a product that addresses user needs and wants.

_{Mohi Khalili}

Mohi is an accomplished product manager, experience designer, team leader and self-motivated entrepreneur with more than 12 years of experience in creating products and founding companies. Mohi's global experience brings a wealth of insights and leadership to AirShare.

Name a few of your favorite apps and reason you love them.

I like the Airbnb app and the minimal, less is more design approach that it follows to show as much as possible without cluttering the screen. The Fabulous app, which is a habit tracker is another example of beautiful design and enjoyable user experience. The Headspace meditation app because it uses a combination of colors, characters and other design elements to create an identity and distinguish itself from the competition.

How long have you been working on this app?

The app is in continuous development, and we are adding more features based on user feedback, but the initial version of the app took around three months to be developed.

What need of the user did you have in mind when developing this app?

The main frustration for our users was the tedious process to log a flight plan and a lengthy form to fill every time. We made "Minimum Friction" as one of our guiding principles from the start and tried to streamline the process to log a flight plan by automating as much as possible and remove unnecessary steps.

In what way do you think your app is better than similar apps on the market? Please describe in detail what innovation you think you bring and what you are proud of in your app.

We have localized our app for New Zealand Airspace and added all the rules and regulations from other authorities to create a one-stop shop for registration, flight planning and getting approvals from authorities. Currently, other apps only allow for basic flight planning only.

What are your future plans and expected features of the coming new versions of this app?

We are integrating with available flight controllers like DJI and Parrot to create a seamless experience from pre-flight planning, flying and receiving real-time notifications and post-flight reports.

Assuming new users of your app are reading this page. What do you want to ask them to do (contact you about X, Share the app, etc.)?

Giving us feedback and what features they would like to see in the app. Also helping us by sharing the app with their friends and other people flying drones.