What going mobile means for MADANA“What’s a computer?” asked a kid as she lay on her grassy garden with her iPad Pro. You probably know this advert, because it ticked off a lot of internet-dwellers. However, let’s overlook this take on a fantasy Apple world where desktop computers are outdated technology, and look at the facts. Mobile web usage has already overtaken desktop usage and most humans in technologically-developed countries are likely to be carrying a smartphone in their pocket. This means that if these devices had a mind of their own, they would probably know more about us than we do.
Mobile devices bleed dataMobile devices provide a completely alternative and personal view into the consumer. They might not have a mind of their own, but they collect data much like our brains do: constantly. Moreover, this data not only includes what a consumer does, but also where that action happened and sometimes even who they were with. Mobile devices can therefore be seen as the glue between the digital and physical world.
However, this overflow of data poses serious issues. Many companies are quick to jump at the opportunity to understand their consumers better. Yet are slow at establishing a secure and privacy-preserving way to store consumers’ data. This has led to many data scandals in the past decade and prompted regulatory solutions such as the GDPR.
Preparing for the futureWouldn’t it be great if individuals could make their data as accessible as it is today, being able to monetize it while avoid leaks? Much of the data that we bleed as consumers can be incredibly useful for the technological advancement of many industries. The issue up until now is how to convert data into insights securely and anonymously. Therefore, our aim is to securely bridge this gap between data and insights. To create a tunnel where valuable data from mainframes or consumer devices can go through one end, and clean priceless information is delivered out of the other end. No leaks, no compromise and full transparency.
As the journey at MADANA started, we needed to raise the funds necessary to assemble a team to make this technology a reality. We therefore focused our efforts on collecting the capital necessary through crowdfunding. At the same time, we wanted to create software that could aid in the fundraising process, as well as serve as the base on which to build our finished polished products.
I would Rather go mobileThe team got together to brainstorm a product that could fit this requirement. At first, we were very keen on bringing back control of the user’s Facebook data. The idea was to allow the user to collect the data that Facebook has about her, while giving an insight as to what this data can say about her. And then the Cambridge Analytica scandal happened. This meant that Facebook shut down many of the more insightful API endpoints; so, the data we got back was practically useless.
Luckily, our Data Scientist DongGu came up with a solution. He developed a way to derive insights about a user by means of a Rather game. Like Tinder. It may not give the most shocking of insights as the Facebook data would have been; however, it serves the purpose of showing how much a series of binary choices can say about us.
Moreover, to meet with the needs of aiding in our crowdfunding, the MADANA mobile application is also connected with our Community Hub. Everywhere you go, you will be able to see your profile; including your Community Points and achievements. Nevertheless, once our crowdfunding is over, these features will be replaced with what will be our decentralized Consumer Data Producer application features. So, take advantage.
If you really want to knowWe wanted to create an application that can be used both on Android and iOS. Given the proven track record, we decided to go for React Native. Not having worked with this technology outside of hackathons and private-time projects, it was a great learning experience. There was plenty of React, and even some Native. Of course, the majority of the code was written in ES7 and JSX. Moreover, having been built with JavaScript, the world’s most popular programming language, means we can count on more contributors.
Let’s be transparentAs open-source advocates, our code will soon be available on our Github account. This will allow our users to leave feedback and to contribute to our products. Likewise, whether you are on your desktop computer or on an iPad Pro laying on your grassy garden, you can see what we are up to.
Join the MADANA Community
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/madana_hqTelegram:
https://t.me/madanaofficialReddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MADANAFacebook:
https://www.facebook.com/madana.ioLinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/madana.io
