The BigDoor Blog | Development

With all the negative press that’s been out about working at startups we thought we’d share our experience. Like most startups, we’re moving at an incredibly fast pace.  To keep up with the demand our BigDoor team continues to grow. Today we welcome Gerry Narvaja the to team as our new DBA. Early next week Bill Dias will join as our new Operations Developer. Gerry and Bill will bring our team to a grand total of 34 employees – 26 of which are developers dedicated to working directly on our product. Since closing our Series B funding in Summer 2010 we’ve more than doubled in head count, twice!

As the company continues to grow and scale we keep ordering more desks. We thought we’d share this great photo of our Chief Technology Officer, Jeff Malek and our Chief Operations Officer, Ring Nishioka, as they pitched in to build one of our new desks yesterday. In a true startup, everyone pitches in to help. Taking ownership and wearing many different hats are two of the best things about working in a startup.  Thanks guys, and a BIG welcome to Gerry and Bill!

This week, we would like to introduce you to another member of the player team here at BigDoor. Brian Beck is a developer who throws fantastic Twin Peaks parties and is originally from Cleveland, OH.

What do you do for BigDoor?

I’m a developer on the newly formed Player Team, meaning I spend a lot of time writing JavaScript and CSS.

What do you like most about BigDoor?

I love the culture of keeping things fun and celebrating our successes. I’m constantly impressed that I never worry about anyone getting their work done or leaving a mess for the other developers. It’s great how reliable and considerate everyone is.

Technology you couldn’t live without?

I’m a total Internet addict, just give me a connection! Besides that, I’m actually pretty wary about inviting new technology into my life. I’m not a gadget person at all.

Technology that needs to be invented?

Wireless everything. You can be sure every computer nerd is bothered by the mess of wires they’re hiding.

iPhone or Android?

iPhone. RIP Steve.

Star Trek or Star Wars?

I’ve always viewed Star Trek as “space politics” and I’m not too into that. So I’ll take the original Star Wars trilogy any day. A big part of my childhood was collecting old Star Wars toys at lots and lots of flea markets. Just look in my closet at home.

Favorite Jimmy Johns sandwich?

I am opposed to Jimmy John’s on the principal of not being yummy. Sorry.

Dog, Cat or Monkey?

Cat, cat, and cat. Preferably just two, though.

Last movie?

Attack the Block at Central Cinema, with some BigDoor folks actually. It’s a great theater we try to frequent.

Bionic limbs or ability to fly?

The flying one.

What was the earliest game you played?

“The Legend of Zelda”.

Game you’re currently playing?

“Deus Ex: Human Revolution”, although I haven’t picked it up in a few weeks.

Favorite music to work to?

Ironically, Girl Talk seems to keep me focused.

Other fun facts:

Today it’s been exactly one year since I arrived in Seattle! My girlfriend and I attempted to ride our bikes here all the way from Cleveland. We made it most of the way and still consider the trip a success. The first place we stopped here was Victrola to hunt for apartments and jobs.

Happy Veterans Day from BigDoor! On this exciting 11/11/11 day we wanted to introduce a new member of the BigDoor team (hired in October). Jacob Speidel is a Stanford graduate with degrees in mechanical engineering,  computer science and biology. At BigDoor he is a black box tester with a love of spicy food and ultimate frisbee.

What do you do for BigDoor?
Officially, I’m the resident black box tester. Which means that I look at the product from our partners perspective and try to anticipate any problems end-users might have. I try to make sure that everything that’s live will be easy and enjoyable for everyone to use.

Unofficially, I’m an apprentice to the awesome developers here. When I’ve covered my other assignments, I get to learn how to contribute in other ways. Whether that’s researching known issues and fixes for IE7 or working on writing unit tests. BigDoor is a fast-paced place to work and it’s exciting to know that my own self-improvement will drive my role with the company going forward.

What do you like most about BigDoor?
The people, no doubt about it. More than any stats about the growth of the company or TED talks on gamification, it was the people I met during the interview process that really made me want to work here. That feeling hasn’t changed in the past month since I’ve started, which is pretty awesome. I feel a little guilty when my friends are complaining about their jobs because I enjoy mine so much.

Technology you couldn’t live without?
Wheels, walking is so slow!

Technology that needs to be invented?
Automated arbitration, plug the facts into a machine and end this NBA lockout!

iPhone or Android?
iPhone. I was considering the next Google phone but I’m disappointed they made it so large. I’m not looking for a phone to replace my computer.

Star Trek or Star Wars?
The new Star Trek or the old Star Wars.

Favorite Jimmy Johns sandwich?
No thanks; I’ll take a Doner Kebab with Jalapeños, please.

Dog, Cat or Monkey?
This is tough; I grew up with dogs and cats so I really want both. However, I’ve heard that a Monkey can be a terrifyingly vengeful pet so I’ll definitely rule that one out. Sorry, Abu.

Last movie?
Footloose. Good dancing, iffy construction, phenomenal montages.

Bionic limbs or ability to fly?
Fly, without a doubt. Anyone who says differently is kidding themselves, or afraid of heights.

What was the earliest game you played?
Super Mario Bros. NES.

Game you’re currently playing?
Whatever is on the arcade machine next to the water cooler.

Favorite music to work to?
Turntable.fm but it depends on the work. Usually, either “Coding Soundtrack” or “Indie While You Work.”

Other fun facts:
I used to be a huge wuss but now I’m addicted to spicy food and thinking about asking for 6 stars at Thai Tom.
I also play a lot of ultimate frisbee and go to a tournament in Hawaii every year with a Stanford team. It’s a blast and a great way to meet people.

This week, we want to introduce you to Brian Immel (known as “Bimmel” around the office). Brian has been with us for a while now and is both a strong asset to the team and a fantastic dancer (Go Mariners!)

What do you do for BigDoor?
I’m a full stack software developer on the “Player Team” – dedicated to all the stuff you see and interact with in your browser.

What do you like most about BigDoor?
Hands down, it’s the people. We’ve got such a strong culture that I’m really quite proud. It shows in everything we do, from our day to day operations to our after-hours socializing. Not to mention we’ve got a great group of individuals who are all at the top of their game. Pick any 3 of my coworkers and I’ll watch them walk on water with you.

Technology you couldn’t live without?
The Internet. It’s pretty awesome, you should get it.

Technology that needs to be invented?
Batteries. Think about it for a second… yeah I know, right?

iPhone or Android?
Android. RIP WebOS.

Star Trek or Star Wars?
Star Trek. I can’t stand fantasy. I also can’t stand sellout franchises.

Favorite Jimmy Johns sandwich?
#12 Beach Club Unwich style – ‘cos that’s how I roll.

Dog, Cat or Monkey?
I’ve always been a dog person. I’m cool with cats (they’re soft), but they aren’t pals like dogs. They’re just emo roomates. But since you’re offering, I’ll take the monkey. Visions of a monkey butler come to mind (hooray for opposable thumbs).

Last movie?
Made: Spokane 48 Hour Film Festival
Saw: In Time (spoiler, JT doesn’t dance at all)
Liked: Captain America
Loved: Inception

Bionic limbs or ability to fly?
Bionic limbs. Flying does sound cool, but what am I going to do if I’m the only one who can fly? Sounds boring. Short of the circus route, I feel retirement would come early.

What was the earliest game you played?
Hot Lava Monster (I was the monster)

Game you’re currently playing?
Team Fortress 2 (yep still)

Favorite music to work to?
It changes a bit depending on my mood and what I’m working on. Pandora or Turntable provide the beat usually, but in general it’s electronic or movie soundtracks. When it’s crunchtime, Simply Noise.

Other fun facts:
Size 13 shoes. Former photo journalist. Lived in Japan for 5 years. Addicted to hack-a-thons. See almost anything that comes out in theaters. Love being challenged.

This week’s dev profile from BigDoor introduces Paul Robbins, the Dev-Tester from Florida who enjoys gaming, basketball and contemplating the future of bionic arms.

What do you do for BigDoor?

I break things.  My job as a dev-tester is to take the best code that the other developers have written and poke all the holes I can in it.  I do manual UAT (User Acceptance Testing), write automated UAT tests with Selenium and write some of the unit tests.  Nothing goes out the door without me looking at it first.

What do you like most about BigDoor?

My absolute favorite part about BigDoor is that it’s full of wicked smart people who are working way more than is healthy, but still take the time to answer questions.  In college I spent two years coding by myself as an intern with the government.  I’ve learned more in three months here than I did in those two years because there are people who are willing to teach me, even when they’re in the middle of something else.

I also love how open everyone is.  I can’t imagine many places where I can email the CEO with an idea and have a response within a half hour not only taking me seriously, but asking how I suggest we fix the problem.

Everyone’s ego is checked at the door here because everyone’s goal is to make the company a smashing success and make each other better.

It also doesn’t hurt that we have an arcade machine and a fridge stocked with beer.

Technology you couldn’t live without?

Besides Penicillin?  I’m a huge nerd so it’s hard to imagine living without my XBox 360.  I play video games, stream Netflix and watch ESPN3 on it.

Technology that needs to be invented?

Bionic limbs.  My girlfriend and I always argue about whether we would want to live with our brain in a robot body.  I can’t think of anything cooler.  Her?  Not so much.

iPhone or Android?

iPhone hands down.  I had an iPhone, switched to a Droid and now I can’t wait to switch back.  A lot of people moan about how controlled Apple’s product is but honestly, when I buy a product, I’m shopping for a polished, well-oiled machine.  Having one, single product to focus on means so much more on the quality side.  Droid’s battery life sucks, it’s touch screen buttons get “stuck” and apps crash ALL THE TIME!

Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of my favorite shows of all time.  But nothing holds a candle to the recent Battlestar Galactica.  It has great writing, great acting, and the creators knew the story they wanted to tell from the very beginning.  After it was over, they didn’t keep dragging it on just to make money.

Favorite Jimmy Johns sandwich?

Gargantuan with no cheese or mayo.

Dog, Cat or Monkey?

A few months ago I would have said dog without hesitation.  But my girlfriend and I just got a cat and she is frickin’ adorable.

Last movie?

The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke.  A fantastic piece of film making and IMO, has the single greatest shot ever filmed.

What was the earliest game you played?

I can’t remember if it was Mario/Duckhunt on my cousin’s NES or Mathblaster on our home PC.

Game you’re currently playing?

None at the moment because I’m spending time with my girlfriend before the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim comes out.  I’ve put down the $150 for the Special edition and probably won’t be leaving the couch for about a month.  I’m a sucker for long, story driven RPGs.  I sunk 120 hours into my main save file in Elder Scrolls IV so if I disappear, well….now you know where I’ll be.

Favorite music to work to?

Depends on what I’m doing.  If I’m trying to concentrate on coding I’ll listen to something relaxing like Norah Jones or The Weepies.  If I’m doing something less brain intensive I’ll rock out to Nightwish or Jedi Mind Tricks.

Other fun facts:

I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, home of Budweiser.  I’m a die hard NBA fan, and the lockout is killing me, especially since Seattle doesn’t seem to have much of a basketball scene (Seriously, if you know of any place to play, let me know. I will fly there)  They just had one of the most exciting seasons of all time and they’re following it up with…nothing.  A good portion of my free time is spent reading books about basketball.  Read Bill Simmons’ “The Book of Basketball.”  He’s a jerk but you’ll find some of the greatest insights into the game you’ve ever heard.

Yesterday we posted this about our player team’s second official Tie Tuesday. We couldn’t resist sharing this image of the guys bonding, over nothing less than a game, during a quick break from work. As a gamification company spontaneous games often happen at work but we’re not sure if it was the lack of oxygen from the ties that lead to street gambling or not! Want to get in on the action? We’re looking for a few more to play!

The player team is looking sharp at BigDoor today, for the second official Tie Tuesday. As a startup we usually don’t care if you want to wear a Bowler’s hat, a hoodie, or flannel to work but every now and then, we like to come together as a team and prove our fashion sense.

The Player Team is responsible for creating gorgeous and seamless game experiences that consumers interact with. Everything you see when you drop Bigdoor’s gamification elements onto your site is created by these guys.  The team has a full development stack including top notch design, awesome front-end and server side development and rock-solid testers.

Regardless of how different the team may be from each other and how different our jobs can sometimes be, we decided to look sharp and rock ties not just because it’s a Tuesday (and tie Wednesday just doesn’t have the same ring) but because a simple gesture that can mean a lot. For us, Tie Tuesday is an indicator of a team that will pull all stops, band together and have a little bit of fun while doing it.

This week we continue our developer profiles by highlighting Brian Oldfield, a member of BigDoor since June of 2010. Enjoy!

What do you do for BigDoor?
Design and execute tests for the API and moonlight in systems management/dev-ops.

What do you like most about BigDoor?
The work and the people. The work is great, and I get to collaborate with amazing people to get it done. The passion and drive that everyone at BigDoor shares for the company and product is unmatched.

Technology you couldn’t live without?
The obvious answer: my cell (smart) phone.
The not so obvious answer: Manual transmission. If I had to drive an automatic I’d go insane.

Technology that needs to be invented?
The next generation of human interface devices. Keyboards on touch screens… really?
And my stylus doesn’t play too nice with my iPad, sad times.

iPhone or Android?
Nothing beats the reliability and ease of use of my iPhone, except maybe my *next* iPhone.

Star Trek or Star Wars?
If it’s got ‘Enterprise’ or ‘Next Generation’ in the title, Star Trek.
If it’s got (episode) 4, 5, or 6 in the title, Star Wars.
For all other permutations, Firefly.
This is a cop-out, I know.

Favorite Jimmy Johns sandwich?
Club Tuna on 7-grain, no cucumber or sprouts. Dill pickle the size of my head on the side.

Dog, Cat or Monkey?
Cat, without question (monkeys smell =/). I have two, one three year old named Linus, and a yet-to-be-named six month old.

Last movie?
Cinderella Man

What was the earliest game you played?
Can’t remember what was first, but it was probably an old school Sierra game: Hero’s Quest (Quest for Glory), Space Quest, or Kings Quest.

Game you’re currently playing?
L.A. Noire- XBox 360. Quality. Looking forward to picking up GoW 3 too!

Favorite music to work to?
Oohh, that depends on my mood.
Sometime’s it’s hiphop (Blue Scholars/Common Market), sometimes something a little more mellow (Matt Nathanson/Head and the Heart/David Bazan/Pedro the Lion), sometimes its something a little heavier (Gruntruck/Phishbone).
And don’t forget the Mother Love Bone.

Other fun facts:
I’ve been dubbed the ‘doctor’ here at BigDoor because of my diagnostic skills.

Software usability evaluation isn’t at all a new concept, nor is it exclusively the realm of bespectacled folks in lab coats, deftly avoiding eye contact behind one-way mirrors. Far from it – “discount” usability testing methods and tools have democratized the process nearly as much as cloud computing has done the same thing to scaling a business’s online infrastructure. (User interface evaluation is even being crowdsourced by companies like UTest.). But your fast-paced market probably demands that you be incredibly nimble and “launch first, ask questions later” – and hope your analytics, some A/B variant testing framework, and direct feedback optimize an initial design. But if you don’t take time to show really early, rough sketch stuff to potential users, “head slappers” – painfully obvious mistakes visible only once you stop protecting your early design from exposure to its intended audience – will lie in wait.

We recently tested portions of a major design update to our tools for publishers who design and deploy BigDoor’s gamification solutions to their sites. The goal? We wanted to learn if our introductory “onboarding” process demonstrated this new experience effectively enough to potential publishers to persuade them to sign up.

Findings? Nope. It did not.

But that’s really good news. Because we had several potential publishers attempt to complete this sign up process and share their frustrations/confusion, we were able to:

• Remove jargon and update terminology that explained little
• Identify a point where adding a couple of previews and simple callouts to explain “this does that,” and “this works like that,” makes all the difference
• Learn that once publishers did find their way through it was fairly easy to understand how to set up the site features they wanted to use

This post should also serve as a shameless plug for Silverback, a stylish, clever tool for video recording a participant’s face and the screen they’re working on, picture-in-picture style, using a Mac laptop’s standard video camera. The impact of the results above was much easier to demonstrate to the entire company with some key video highlights, and all the raw footage was right there on my laptop to work with the moment we wrapped up testing. Hugely useful.

Some imposter dramatizes a dialog box

The barriers to quick, in-house (and crowdsourced) methods for finding out how many head-slappers your early UI designs are lower than ever before. Huge ROI for a relatively tiny investment of time and effort awaits teams of any size.

- Matt Shobe, BigDoor Chief Design Officer & early stage mistake-maker

We couldn’t do what we do without an awesome team. This week, we profiled Conor Ryan, one of the newest members of our team.

What do you do for BigDoor?
I’m responsible for managing all of the gamification content that faces the end-user in the form of quests, rewards, copy, images, and so forth. I create the structure of the quests and program them into our partners’ engagement economies, and then monitor how the quests perform. Since BigDoor only succeeds if our partners succeed via gamification, we are incentivized to make the most engaging quest experience possible, and so the quests are constantly being tweaked with an eye on analytics.

What do you like most about BigDoor?
I like that BigDoor strives to be the leader in its field. Every company wants to be the leader and talks (and talks and talks) about it, but every day I see BigDoor making the kind of choices — from hiring high-caliber people to joining the philosophical and intellectual debate about gamification — that convince me of its seriousness.

I say “seriousness”, but it’s a really fun place to work. Every day I look around and I’m like, wow, I really work here!

Technology you couldn’t live without?
Yelp. I’ve had a lot of really memorable dining (and drinking!) experiences in many otherwise unfamiliar cities thanks to Yelp. If it didn’t exist, I would have to invent it. Or use Citysearch or something.

iPhone or Android?
Android currently, but it’s my first smartphone. I’m kind of dispassionate about the whole iPhone versus Android thing, probably because I’m stuck with my Droid 2 for awhile.

Star Trek or Star Wars?
Star Wars.

Favorite Jimmy Johns sandwich?
#12, the Beach Club.

Dog, Cat or Monkey?
I used to be a dog person, but cats are more suited to apartment living. My wife and I have a cat named Zeitoon, which is Arabic for “olive”. It was also the name of a Middle Eastern restaurant in Belltown whose happy hour was our absolute favorite (another Yelp find!), now since closed. Anyway, I’m a cat person now.

Last movie?
The last movie I saw was Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. If you haven’t seen it, you should!

What was the earliest game you played?
Probably Pong — when I was in first grade our teacher would pull out an old Atari set for rainy day recess. I remember being sort of unimpressed — this was the early ’90s, way before retro games were cool again.

Game you’re currently playing?
Angry Birds. It passes the time at the bus stop and at the same time it turns my phone into a handwarmer.

Favorite music to work to?
Slave Ambient by The War on Drugs or the new Bon Iver album.

Other fun facts:
I’ve got the travel bug pretty bad — in the last 7 months I’ve been to New York, Paris, and Prague. My wife Andrea and I are planning a trip to Portugal next year, and we really want to visit Beirut, where her family is from. My great-grandparents immigrated from Ireland and Norway, so those countries are high on the list too.