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Playing is simple, even a child can do it, but designing something simple is hard. How can we combine prototyping with production software to get our ideas in front of real people? How can we evolve our software over time? How do we measure if something is fun? I will talk about how Ruby’s flexibility and a strong testing ethos can bring some sanity to this uncertain world. And when I say testing, I’m not just talking about RSpec, Cucumber or Capybara, I’ll share stories from Mightyverse about how we test whether our software actually “works” for the people who use it — sharing failures, I mean, learning, as well as success. Help us caption & translate this video! http://amara.org/v/F1kO/
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In the video titled "Let's Pretend," Sarah Allen discusses the journey of creating Mightyverse, a platform aimed at preserving language and culture through the sharing of phrase videos. She emphasizes the challenges of transitioning from concept to execution and the importance of learning from both failures and successes. Key points covered include: - **Introduction to Mightyverse**: Sarah shares her vision for Mightyverse, focusing on a global network for language and culture that allows users to create and share videos of phrases in their native languages. - **Early Challenges**: She recalls how the initial versions of Mightyverse faced technical difficulties and failed to engage real users, leading to a re-evaluation of their product approach. - **Testing and Iteration**: Inspired by Eric Ries's learn-build-measure method, she highlights the significance of testing early and often, using automated tests to define the project's direction and functionality. - **Traffic Growth and SEO**: Sarah explains how the proper encoding of content for search engines led to significant increases in traffic, despite initial missteps in visibility and engagement. - **Crowdfunding as Validation**: The video outlines the decision to pursue crowdfunding, detailing strategies for campaign success and the need for fun to drive user engagement in language learning. - **Game Design for Language Learning**: Sarah discusses the development of a card game designed to enhance language acquisition while being enjoyable, evolving through community feedback during playtests. - **Community Engagement**: Collaborative efforts with the community have played a vital role in refining their project and designing the new game. Sarah invites the audience to participate in learning phrases and engaging with Mightyverse. - **Conclusion**: She emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs beyond coding practices, encouraging an agile mindset that focuses on real-world impacts and benefits of software development. Overall, the session promotes a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement within software development, particularly in the context of language learning.
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