Get your code on: 4 teams that took Codegeist 2022 to the next level

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Every app we build has a human story behind it – made by real people, overcoming real challenges as they try to bring something new to the Marketplace that will make the everyday lives of users better. Whether you're working in challenging conditions or stepping into a developer role for the first time, bringing an idea to life takes grit and determination.  

Our annual hackathon, Codegeist, is full of untold stories like these. From students learning new skills to experienced developers testing out what they know on a new use case, there's so much we can learn from our participants. 

Now that we've announced the winners of our Codegeist storytelling competition, we're excited to write about a few favorite stories, lessons, and takeaways from our submissions. We're honored that such a diverse and talented group of developers chose to share their experiences with us, and we're excited to share them with you.

SaaSJet: Adapting to Challenging Circumstances

When we sit down to work on a new app, there are many things we take for granted, from the electricity powering our laptops to the Internet connection. SaaSJet, a Gold Marketplace Partner based in Ukraine, started their Codegeist experience without many of the basics. To power their work, they had to rely on power banks, coworking spaces, and schedules for electricity.

Despite their challenges, they submitted 3 apps to Codegeist: Text to JQL, an AI-based solution that generates a corresponding JQL query that interests the user from a natural language query,  Dictation for Jira, which allows users to dictate Jira issues, and Jiva, a Jira Intelligent Virtual Assistant Gadget that provides a natural language interface for Jira task management. After Codegeist, they released Text to JQL in the Marketplace, so now everyone can give it a try. 

Producing three apps for Codegeist was no easy feat. They reported going down to the wire with the third app, wondering if they'd finish on time, and managed to pull it off.

This hackathon is an incredible experience for us as a team. It unites, brings you closer, and forces your brain to work completely differently.

Yuliia, SaaSJet

ij-solutions: How a Jira Admin Became a Developer

It can feel intimidating starting out as a Marketplace Partner if you haven't built an app before – or even done any coding! But, sometimes the hardest things are the most worth doing. In our next story, Jonas Moehringer, co-founder of ij-solutions and Jira admin, discussed how he built Epic Clone, his first Jira Cloud app, with the Forge UI kit.

In his blog, he shares his thought process building both apps and the aspects of Forge he needed to familiarize himself with. As a Jira admin, he understood the basics of Atlassian tools and cloud environments more generally, but started from the very beginning with the Forge Getting Started page and Jira Hello World tutorials.

He offers a highly thoughtful and thorough discussion of issues he ran into and how he solved for them, including challenges with backend implementation (including payload size and invocation timeouts). And, if you're planning to learn Custom UI, the second half of his article is a must read, containing a very methodical thought process about what he knew and needed to learn. 

If you're looking for a great story about the path someone took on their Forge journey, Jonas's is absolutely perfect. 

Choong Pw: Creating a Smoother Developer Experience

Developer Choong Pw opens his story by saying that "one of the key attributes of a developer is the ability to learn and understand new concepts quickly." One thing that can help developers get started even faster is understanding the fundamentals and capabilities of Forge, so they can easily tweak the platform to better meet their needs.
He pointed out the helpfulness of the Hello World tutorial for Jira (which we also mentioned above) and shared hacks to help make the development process smoother and easier. Even better, he created a great video tutorial walking viewers through his process, making it even easier for folks to follow along and learn.

DEISER: From Idea to Finished App

If you've ever sat down and tried to brainstorm a new idea in front of a whiteboard or with a friend, you're well aware it can feel like one of the hardest parts of the app development process. What should you build and why – and, even more importantly, who is going to use it?

DEISER, a Spain-based Marketplace Partner, shared a detailed story of going from idea to finished app, including all the road bumps along the way. They cover the entire journey from start to finish, including discussing key decisions like putting together the right team. For Codegeist, they tapped into their brand-new Discovery team to find opportunities for new apps that add value.

Based on conversations with users, they decided to create an app that provided more information on the status of support tickets. They discuss both their design and back end development process, and it's fascinating to get a holistic view of their decision making process as they test internally, try out new marketing, and finally launch their app.

Keep the story going

These are just a few of the many great stories that came out of Codegeist last year. Thanks to everyone who shared their story – hearing about our different experiences brings us all closer together.

Got a Codegeist story to share? It's not too late to write something up on your blog. If you're planning to participate in Codegeist again, it can be exciting to document your journey from year to year so you can look back on the progress you've made.