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Guided by simplicity TEXT: MALIN NORMAN | PHOTOS: NEXT APPS
Despite the huge leaps forward in speed, technology and versatility, the secret to building a great app has remained the same. “It’s all about keeping it simple,” says Wim Van Buynder, co-founder of Next Apps. “The most important thing for any mobile app is for the back-end to run smoothly and the front-end to be easy to work with, intuitive and user-friendly,” says Van Buynder. As a professional iOS app builder and co-founder of mobile app developers Next Apps, he knows what he is talking about. Together with co-founder Christophe Todts and partner Sander Versluys, he has managed Next Apps since 2014. 64 | Issue 57 | September 2018
Throughout the company structure, approach and communication, simplicity is key. “Simplicity is in our DNA,” Van Buynder confirms. “We try to capture the essence of a client’s request and come up with a simple yet creative solution.” Todts elaborates further, and says: “Although we are a developer team, we are a partner in the process rather than just a supplier of software. This is where we add value to the project.”
A modern mindset The young team of 13 has a modern mindset and is flexible to change of direction. Whilst a client may have an initial solution in mind, it usually changes
after Next Apps comes into the picture. Instead of tackling the problem through a business only perspective, the team first looks at it from the end user’s point of view. “It mostly comes down to making things easy and understandable for the user,” explains Versluys. “The solution might be technically complex behind the scenes, but that should not be reflected in the user experience.” The team works with large corporate clients such as Barco and Samsonite, but also small start-ups with the ambition to make a real impact in the market. Most apps are either for new services or to streamline existing services, whether it