TADHack Developer Spotlights: Ruwan Dissanayaka

Ruwan Dissanayaka is one of the many competing developers for TADHack Sri Lanka. A graduate of the University of Moratuwa, Ruwan runs Extrogene, a startup which dabbles in both software and IT consultancy and has a small but exclusive client base. Right now, he’s busy working with the hSenid devspace APIs to hammer out his TADHack entry.

How did you get involved in telecom app development?

Initially I got involved in telco application development when I participated in the MIT-AITI mobile entrepreneurship incubation program. There our team developed the AroundU demo application using Etisalat Appzone. Later, we released it with Dialog as well. Sometime after that, I re-started my telco application development with the Dialog Ideamart Platform and came out with the MyClan application in March 2013. Almost all my projects have been made possible because of hSenid’s platforms for app creation.

What telco apps have you worked on thus far?

My firstwas AroundU which is a location based application to get the map around the user via MMS. My next application was MyClan application which is used to connect school clans together. After that I created several applications – TaxiBuddy, Bodimak, QuizGen, Podikade, Loyalty, MyClan and Chat.

Explain their functionality in brief?

TaxiBuddy won the first ever Dialog Ideamart Hackathon. It is an application which can be used to find the nearest taxis. Taxi drivers can register to the system via SMS and update their location at any time using USSD.
Bodimak Application was an application to rent and find lodges. Then there’s QuizGen, which won the 2nd runner up at Code Ultimatum Hackathon 2013. It is a platform which can be used by telco application developers and entrepreneurs to generate quiz applications for telcos.

Loyalty is an application for reload shops and its customers. PodiKade is an application for publishing short advertisements via SMS. Chat is an application can be used to chat within groups via SMS. Now my focus is to develop more SME(Small and Medium Enterprise) based applications.

What’s your inspiration for developing apps?

I try to look at practical uses that can be improved with my product. For example, in Bodimak, which lets you locate boarding places near your university or workplace or whatever. One of the main reasons that motivated to develop ‘Bodimak’ was having gone through the similar hassle and inconvenience of locating a place that would suit my requirements when I joined University. I thought that if a SMS application that provides such a service is created, it would be easier for everybody.

What are you hoping to get out of TADHack?

TADHack is an opportunity for all of us to share our ideas and experiences to be better in telco application development and enter new markets. TADHack allows us to go global without restricting our development efforts to one country – that’s the most valuable opportunity as I see. Obviously the prizes and recognition are the next motivation for TADHack for all developers. I see this as an opportunity for small companies like us to scale up our operations within telco industry.

Interested? TADHack Sri Lanka happens on the 6th and 7th of June 2014. Ruwan and others like him are busy working on their winning entries with hSenid’s industry-leading developer tools and support. Head over to devspace.hsenidmobile.com for resources, schedules, demos  and more.