Mark McFarlane - Freelance iPhone Developer in Tokyo » Freelance work

Design Tshirts Store graniph – iPhone app

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:25:26 +0000

I’m really pleased to announce the most important project of my career so far. Design Tshirts Store graniph is a successful chain clothing store with over 80 branches across Japan, Australia, HongKong and Taiwan.

Working closely with the amazing guys at graniph to produce the app, my main tasks included:

General UX (User eXperience) design and development including app structure, view layout, UI animations, usability testing and use case studies
Downloading and caching the JSON datasource from the graniph webserver for product details, news items and store information
Downloading and caching the image data for the products at high speed while maintaining responsiveness.
Design and creation of PHP code necessary to serve the JSON data from graniph’s existing web server/CMS.
Google Maps integration including displaying distances/walking times from the user’s location to the nearest store.

Check out the app here!

In development – fashion related media app

admin — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:31:50 +0000

Unfortunately I can’t give many details for this right now as I’m under NDA and this app is a big deal for the client, but it should be on my site as the technologies used in it are pretty hardcore.

Technologies and skills used as Lead developer on iPhone platform:

Downloading and synchronising a complex object graph from a Rails server providing JSON

Caching all data using CoreData

Using complex and carefully planned techniques to ensure user experience is optimal while ensuring constantly changing feed of data is kept up to date

Consulting on UX concepts to help ensure the UI is effective

Once the app is released I should be able to put more details up.

In development – Financial reporting app

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:47:06 +0000

My current project is a universal iPhone/iPad app designed to provide data about companies to investors. The main technologies being employed are:

General UX (User eXperience) design including UI animations, usability testing and use case studies
Downloading and caching an XML datasource from a webserver using a secure HTTPS authenticated connection
Drawing and dynamically updating complex charts and tables of information
iOS In App Purchase support for subscriptions
AirPrint support for in-app wireless printing

iAd/web ad advertising platform

admin — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 05:57:47 +0000

I worked with Mission One and planning NYARO on an update to their popular and fun app, My Announcer.

My task was to add in-app advertising functionality to the app. This meant designing a system that could detect whether iAd is available on a user’s device (currently only in the US) and display an ad banner. If iAd isn’t available to the user, the plugin detects this, and switches to a custom ad banner from a third party advertiser. If no internet connection is available at all to load an advert, no banner is shown.

I was asked to make this code act as a plugin so that it could be reused easily in other apps and ensure that it was fully documented for implementation by anyone.

The first app to use this system, My Announcer, is available for free on the app store now:

My Announcer for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

Dadako Studios – Monstermakr

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:12:14 +0000

Probably the most fun project I’ve worked on yet as lead programmer at Dadako Studios. Monstermakr is a really fun app to use, and allowed me to really get my teeth into some low level image and graphics programming. Using the Facemakr SVG engine with some tweaks and the addition of a photo layer, Monstermakr allows the user to turn friends and family into ghastly monstrosities. The addition of studio head Hawken King’s illustration and graphic design masterpieces really help to make Monstermakr a fun and simple to use app.

App Store link

www.monstermakr.com

Check out the amazing promo produced by the great guys at Ice Block Films featuring me, Ben Thomas (a graphic designer in Tokyo) and friends:

Coming – Audio app for a published musician

admin — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:43:35 +0000

I’m in the process of developing a simple app for an interesting client at the moment. It’s a published musician who creates music for relaxation.

I will update this post when the app is released and permission is given from the client to discuss it.

Dadako Studios – Facemakr HD

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:14:43 +0000

As Lead Programmer at Dadako Studios my responsibility is to maintain and add new features to Facemakr HD. Recently these have included functionality such as Twitter and Facebook posting, UI tweaks and code refactoring.

Dadako Studios – Facemakr

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:28:46 +0000

August 2010

I was originally asked by Dadako Studios to help them integrate a number of functions, including Facebook and Twitter functionality, into their popular and extremely cool iPhone and iPad apps, Facemakr and FacemakrHD.

Working closely with the lead designer, using cool technologies such as the Facebook Connect and Twitter API platforms I enabled Facemakr to upload user’s avatars to their Facebook photo albums and wall, and set their avatar as their Twitter profile picture.

Since then my relationship with Dadako has become closer, resulting in me becoming Lead Programmer for the studio, taking over main duties for the updating of the apps. Other functionality included adding images to contacts in the address book, displaying an online avatar gallery from the web and many other tweaks and fixes.

Check out Facemakr at www.facemakr.com or download it direct from the App Store. Also check out Dadako Studios.