DPI trainees present their apps to guests at the showcase.
As an operations associate at Sephora, “testers” are a big part of Daniela Garcia’s job. She brought that knowledge to bear on the app she created as a software development trainee at DPI.
Tester Tracker and other apps for a smoother workday …
Before a customer buys, for example, moisturizer or cream eye shadow, they might want to test a small quantity. Operations associates open a container of the product, label it as a tester, and put it on display.
When no tester is available for a given product, an associate may need to open a new one, but occasionally the tester has just been misplaced, leaving a suboptimal shopping experience for the customer — and a potential waste for the company it if multiple packages of the same product end up being opened as testers.
To address that problem, Garcia created the Tester Tracker app, which tracks all tester packages in a store. Associates can search for specific products by name or SKU number, or get an overview of all testers on the floor at a given time.
Garcia hasn’t pitched the app to her managers at Sephora yet — although coworkers have beta-tested it for her — but she presented it at DPI’s software development trainee showcase in December.
One of 10 trainees, Garcia wasn’t the only one whose app was inspired by work challenges. Merrill Huang, who has worked as a translator in Chinese and English, found that it was a sometimes a struggle to translate a more technical or industry-specific term, like medical or legal jargon. He developed Crowd Dictionary, a crowdsourced translation app, where users can rate translations for accuracy.
Drawing on a previous job where “I probably learned the most in my last week,” Jessica JnoBaptiste created ConnectGo, a sort of interactive organizational chart for companies to use in onboarding new employees. Brian Luu, an active hiker who once worked for the Chicago Park District, developed Outdoor Discovery, an app that provides suggestions for nearby activities. (Pro tip: his favorite spot is Big Marsh Park on Chicago’s South Side.)
… and a better life outside work
But not all the apps were work focused. Perfect Pals, Margarita Potylitsyna’s app, helps the user find trustworthy roommates. Tanda, created by Vivian Davila, allows groups to save up money together for a common purpose, such as a vacation.
Bringing it all together
Anna Villarreal creates blacklight psychedelic paintings to sell at art fairs, music festivals, and other events. To keep track of her bookings and get even more granular in terms of which items have sold well at which past events, she created goVend. The app also has an interface for event planners to track which artists they’ve booked.
For Villarreal, becoming a DPI trainee is another step on a journey that began years ago, when she first developed an interest in graphic design and coding. After starting to teach herself some coding in the fall of 2023, Anna joined the software development trainee program in search of a steadier income and has already felt a huge sense of accomplishment.
“I have learned full-stack web development, so I have a leg to stand on,” she said. “I built a website from the ground up.”
And, as always, it’s not just the technical skills that leave a lasting impact on trainees.
“I learned a lot,” said Ashanti Hatchett, “and I met a lot of great people.”
Next steps
After the showcase, the 10 trainees began independent study to prepare them for tech roles and related fields that most align with their interests.
Author: Jeanie Chung