Engineer with 16+ years building scalable systems and leading technical initiatives. I've worked across banking, gaming, government, and startups, solving complex technical problems while mentoring engineers and working closely with product teams. Strong in Java, Golang, TypeScript, Rust, and Kafka. Open to remote work with Asia-Pacific timezone overlap.
Interesting challenge was designing for minimal distractions while keeping setup simple for parents. Timer-locked navigation so kids can see what's next but can't start other tasks or switch profiles. Also refactored from schedule-centric (nightmare to maintain) to task-definitions as first-class citizens, which made creating schedules way easier
React Native/Expo + Firebase. On the App Store after months of dogfooding with the family
I did consider that early on, but decided against it for now. Adding social features would be a privacy nightmare (especially with kids involved) and would significantly complicate both the UX and codebase
Fair points, and I appreciate the candid feedback. The demo tasks were chosen to showcase different task types (timed, photo-proof, etc) rather than being prescriptive about what kids should do. But I can see how it reads as "tiger parent starter pack"
For context: my older son genuinely enjoys chess and piano, and this structured schedule approach was recommended by their child psychologist. We tried paper-based scheduling but it didn't stick, so my wife asked me to build an app to help
Your point about useful adult skills is well taken. The hope is they internalise the habit of planning and following through, so eventually they can set their own schedules. We'll see how it goes
I would study what you're apparently intent on ignoring: that kids and screens do not mix well and reduces their ability to engage with the more complex aspects of reality. Do you want automatons or fundamentally happy beings?
“A growing body of evidence has found that children’s brains can structurally and functionally change due to prolonged media multitasking, such as diminished gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, where attentional control and complex decision making abilities reside, among other really important skills, like the development of empathy and understanding nonverbal social communication,”
There are over 300 studies detailing how early screen use damages children's brains and impairs their ability to reason and relate to others. How engineers ignore this is incredible.
Ah we're pretty similar in that regard. Officially their screen time is 30min on weekdays (excluding the app usage and chess.com) so the app basically digitise that whiteboard + timer concept
Photo proof actually was my wife's idea. She wanted to verify the task quality when she wasn't at home - similar to your audit capability
I guess the 12year old battles will be coming for me next.. Not exactly looking forward to the puberty haha
Glad that works for you! We tried paper-based routines but they didn't stick for us. The timer helps them realize tasks take less time than they think, and the photo proof solves disputes about task quality when sometimes their "done" meant rushed with minimal effort :D
Remote: Yes (open to hybrid/onsite in Singapore)
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Java, Golang, TypeScript, JavaScript, Rust, Node, PostgreSQL, Kafka, Ansible, Kubernetes, Terraform, React Native, Expo, React
Resume: https://ronaldsuwandi.com
Email: ronald@ronaldsuwandi.com
Engineer with 16+ years building scalable systems and leading technical initiatives. I've worked across banking, gaming, government, and startups, solving complex technical problems while mentoring engineers and working closely with product teams. Strong in Java, Golang, TypeScript, Rust, and Kafka. Open to remote work with Asia-Pacific timezone overlap.