Here is an interesting question to consider: what do you do when faced with a challenge – at work or otherwise? Do you Google a solution and go for the one that suits you best, become frustrated and try to ignore the entire situation, complain to anyone who listens, or do you see it as a potential goldmine?
It’s no secret that Einstein had a lot of smart things to say in his life. Chances are you might have heard one of our favourites, paraphrased here: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” A little easier to understand than some of his other teachings, for sure, and a great thing to remember when you’re about ready to throw your computer at a wall from sheer frustration.
Challenges don’t just exist to drive us crazy. Every innovative milestone in history started with a problem. How do we make this work? Why didn’t our first solution lead to success? What can we learn from our failures? That is exactly why we think of challenges as potential goldmines.
In short, innovation is the driving force behind progress, where challenges are turned into opportunities, and, as a result, industries can transform to reach new heights. While some may think of innovation as a buzzword, at Mondo, it’s far more than that… it’s a core value we keep in the back of our minds when approaching any new project.
Here are a couple of ways we have worked to stay ahead of the curve, approach challenges with an open mind, and meet the evolving needs of our clients.
Renewable Energy and AI: A Match Made in Heaven
When discussing innovation, it’s hard to look past either renewable energy or AI – two cutting-edge technologies that have garnered a lot of attention these past few years (and for good reason!)
If you’re familiar with Mondo, you’ll know that we are passionate about all things sustainable… and that, naturally, includes renewable energy. So, when PV Industries came to us asking for a solution to their solar panel waste issue, we were more than happy to help.
Our objective during our collaboration with PV Industries was to create a scalable solution for bulk analysis of solar panel images using AI. (If you’re curious to find out more about the process, check out the video at the bottom of this page.) While that may sound straightforward enough on paper, a few challenges quickly emerged. First, the short timeframe, with the team working with a three-week engagement. Tight? Yes. Doable? Well, we certainly managed.
This is where it’s important to think of such a challenge as an opportunity, as you always come out the other end having learned something. And what did our team learn? A few useful things, including the fact that we can make an awesome, great-looking, and scalable MVP using AI in just three weeks.
Another challenge, which, when combined with the short timeframe, did cause a small amount of anxiety, was the initial lack of clarity. This isn’t that unusual – anyone who works in development will have at least one story where things were a bit messy starting out. Usually, it works out in the end, with developers and clients working together until a clear picture can be found. And it did work out with PV Industries, obviously (and thankfully!)
Finally, given the system was intended to be used by a range of people from clients like Bunnings, as well as those from solar farms and the like, the UI needed to be user-friendly and straightforward to use. There are a few ways to achieve this, sometimes by trial and error, other times by consumer testing and feedback. After all, what works for a tech team might not be as easy for someone in a completely different industry.
Again, with the tight timeframe, there wasn’t that much time for back-and-forth. And our feedback came from a very small pool – mostly internal.
That said, it all worked out, with the project looking great, if we say so ourselves. More importantly, it functions exactly as it should, as a scalable solution that analyses solar panel data in real-time… and, in the process, offers solar energy providers an innovative tool that optimises their operations. It also allowed the Mondo team a chance to grow, and do their part for the renewable energy cause. We call that a win-win.
Fintech and App Development: An Innovative (and Complex) Process
When it comes to Fintech, innovation is the name of the game. From mobile banking apps to cryptocurrency platforms, Fintech companies have continued to deliver exciting new tech that makes the world of finance far more accessible and easier for many consumers. The Verve Money app is one piece of tech aiming to do just that, with its consumer base consisting of a somewhat niche market: women.
We say niche because the share market has traditionally been more male-dominated, with many women reluctant to get involved. Verve Super’s aim with the Verve Money app was to change that by taking away some barriers and offering plenty of education on how to engage with the market – in a sustainable way, of course.
This was not a three-week job like with PV Industries. Instead, we were given a four-month timeframe to complete the project. That relieved some pressure, especially given we were building an entire app from scratch and integrating it with six platforms (Auth0, Zepto and FrankieOne, to name a few).
This is a challenge that we imagine many, if not all – all the secure ones, anyway – Fintech apps present during the development stage. After all, you are generally working with sensitive data and actual money belonging to your consumers. With that in mind, you don’t want to overlook multi-factor authentication or other platforms designed to keep your consumers safe.
As you can imagine, with all the complexities involved, integration took up a core chunk of those four months and presented a few challenges. We won’t bore you with all the details, but we will mention one – the app had to be reactive due to how the Fintech world operates, with deposits and other changes not happening within the app right away. That was an interesting one to figure out.
Additionally, compliance and regulations are always a big part of Fintech projects. Fraud protection and know your customer procedures exist for a reason and, therefore, must be followed… especially if you want to land yourself a place in the Apple or Google Play stores. While this part can be challenging, we consider it a chance to protect, innovate, and do our part to help Verve Money succeed. Their customers can rest assured that their investments are safely tucked away.
What’s It All Boil Down To?
We don’t bring up these two projects as a way of showing off. That’s not our nature, honestly. Instead, we simply wanted to recognise the nature of the industry as it stands now… because who knows what it will be like, really, ten years down the road. But if we had to guess, it will be a little different, thanks to some innovative thinking. That’s what it all boils down to.
The project development industry, like every industry, is moving fast, with new tech – and potential issues – emerging at what feels like a constant rate. Staying ahead of the curve is important, but it also can be tricky as we figure out the best way to make the tech work for the clients and their customers. This is why thinking out of the box, staying positive, and maintaining the mindset of ‘opportunity’ over ‘challenge’ is so crucial to success. It’s how we’ve continued to grow at Mondo and, hopefully, how you’ve grown too.
If you have a challenge that you think we could turn into an opportunity (and a great project, too!), then why not drop us a line? We’re always interested in great new ideas from awesome potential collaborators.
