How I learned to develop a web application in 6 weeks

The Pebolas Project was created from an insight Nilton Calegari and Matheus Dubin had while creating a backlog for me during the first Edition of the Poatek Summer <Code> Camp, in partnership with Colégio Farroupilha. It consists of a React scoreboard application for the Foosball Table on the 11th floor of Poatek, which many Poatekers are fond of. From the beginning, I knew this was something that would challenge me, while still making me improve as a programmer.

Thanks to the support from my buddies, I was able to learn how to program using a JavaScript library for building user interfaces named React. It was a great way of elaborating on a functional web application. The development process involved a whole team structure with project managers, me as the project developer, Julia Oshiro as the designer, and many weekly meetings with the clients. In these meetings we established our ideas and expectations for the project, discussing our views with the clients of the project. They gave me feedback on what I was working on, as well as suggestions on new features for the interface. I also learned the importance of using git, working with an Azure repository for all my commits. Nilton and Dubin were always considerate of me while introducing me to this tool, as it was my first time dealing with it. They made sure to add comments on what I could improve in my code and, most importantly, how to refine it.

Regarding the code, React made it possible to produce this application and manage the front end much more easily, due to some of its useful resources such as creating reusable components. These components were used to program functional scores, pop-ups, modals, name inputs, and so on. Besides that, it was also helpful to manage the State of some implementations, including the goals, team names, winners, and current clock time. CSS translated into the project as well, in the form of both a light and dark mode option, following an MVP on the Figma platform built by the designer exclusively for this project.

I definitely stumbled upon many obstacles, which led me to gain more knowledge about the matter. These six weeks were also filled with Knowledge Transfer sessions by incredible poatekers about varied subjects, like Pandas, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, and many more. One of the most thought-provoking ones for sure was the Knowledge Transfer about Agile Methodologies presented by Wrana Fritz. She introduced us to Scrum, which is the market standard for conducting projects to satisfy clients while emphasizing teamwork. Through the course of the time I stayed here, my love for Computer Science did nothing but grow. I felt more than welcomed by the entire Poatek team and feel grateful for my experience during these weeks.

I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved during my stay in the Poatek during the 1st edition of Summer <Code> Camp, going from programming a simple Tic Tac Toe game to building an entire custom Scoreboard for the company. I am sure it will be of great use, especially during Foosball tournaments. Moreover, since there are a huge amount of amazing developers and data scientists here, I believe there could easily be a continuity of this project in order to improve the interface and add new features to it.

In conclusion, my first software engineering project represents an important milestone in my journey as a developer. Despite the challenges and obstacles I faced, I was able to use my creativity, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities to deliver a functional and well-designed solution. I am sure this knowledge will be greatly useful to inform my future projects and continue to build upon my skills.

This article was written by Poatek Summer <Code> Camp Intern Priscila de Lacerda Gerhardt