Last week, Microsoft hosted an internal hackathon for engineers to develop apps, experiment with new technologies and explore open data sets. One team of Microsoft engineers developed a thoughtful and timely app called Flags for Nepal so people around the world can share their thoughts and prayers with the victims of the recent earthquake.
I sat down with Manoj Sharma and Andrew Harris, the dev team, to learn more about flagsfornepal.org.
What is flagsfornepal.org?
It is a simple way of showing that you care. Flagsfornepal.org provides a way for people to communicate in a quick way the empathy they feel towards the people of Nepal who were hit by an unprecedented earthquake.
What do you hope the app will generate / produce? What was your goal for Flags for Nepal?
In the over-informed, constantly connected times we live in today, it is impossible for people to pause, and reflect on anything for more than a few minutes. We are driven so much by the real and imaginary deadlines that we forget to share the warmth and love in our hearts with people who need it the most.
We hope that the flagsfornepal.org will produce a little island on the web where anyone can go and spend a few moments connecting and recharging their inner selves. We do not expect to be another fundraiser site at this time, though we fully understand the need for it and appreciate everyone who is engaged in raising money for the victims.
The goal of flagsfornepal.org was to let anyone in the world participate in creating a chain of best wishes expressed through little pictures, or messages that can live in the continuum of time long after the memory of the event ceases to exist.
The goal was to give a sense of stability to the news that deserved it the most.
And finally the biggest goal was to bring a smile on the faces of those living up in the Himalayas who lost something or someone without a warning.
Any suggestions for flag ideas? What can people post to the flags?
It is the spring season in most parts of the USA. So when you walk down the sidewalks and see a beautiful tulip or a daffodil, take a picture of it with your cell phone and post it as a flag. This is the most immediate and easiest way to share something meaningful.
But you can get more creative and think of deeper ways to express your feelings. Here are some ideas:
- Pictures of things, objects, images that symbolize hope.
- Creating posters or drawings that include symbols from Nepal. When people of Nepal see those symbols, like their flag, or national animals, monuments, sayings etc. they might feel even closer to you. You took the time to study, that means you care.
- Pictures of anything that can bring a smile
- Finally, you don’t have to post an image. You can write just a short powerful message and we will convert it to a flag.
- If you know Hindi, you can type in that as well for a greater reach. Here is a site that lets you do it easily.
What technology was used to develop this app?
Creating a web app like this is pretty straightforward, but in the spirit of the hackathon we wanted to try something new. We were really excited to see Microsoft release new cross-platform tools last week at the Build conference, so we put them to the test. We built the site using Python and the Django web application framework in the backend and lots of AngularJS in the frontend, using Microsoft’s new Visual Studio Code editor for Linux.
The key graphic design was done in Adobe Illustrator using ample use of free hand drawing and sketching. The touch screen and the ability to draw with a pen on a Surface-pro helped a lot in getting things done quickly. Especially something like the tattered edge of a flag, which many people said they loved, would be difficult to create without a pen input.
I understand you developed this app during a hackathon – what are your day jobs?
Manoj Sharma, the person behind the flags website concept and the overall design, is a UX designer in the Docs team.
Andrew Harris, the brains behind the coding, is a PM in the Docs team who is so passionate about programming that he is often confused for being a developer.
