Apple Developer Academy @ POSTECH — iOS Development

I spent 9 months at the Apple Developer Academy, focusing entirely on iOS development from a developer's perspective, intentionally distancing myself from design to gain a deep understanding of the development process. During this period, I participated in four team projects, handled iOS development for all projects, and released two apps on the App Store.

For the Swift Student Challenge, I designed and developed a moon phase checking app using SwiftUI that visually displays the moon phase of the day. The brightness of the stars dims as the moon approaches fullness and brightens as it nears a new moon, capturing the actual appearance of the night sky.

I submitted MellowYellows to the Swift Student Challenge and was fortunate enough to be selected as a winner among students from around the world. As a result, I was invited to attend WWDC23 at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino and participate in the conference.

At WWDC23, held at Apple Park, I witnessed the unveiling of new products like Vision Pro and updates to iOS, macOS, watchOS, and more. I also attended presentations on new features in development frameworks like Swift and SwiftUI.

After returning to Korea, I participated as a speaker at KWDC23, a conference for all Apple communities in Korea. I shared my experiences with the Apple ecosystem and services in the US that I encountered at WWDC23.

I worked on the front-end development of Wote, a community platform app that helps teens make rational consumer decisions by sharing their concerns and checking others' consumer tendencies. I collaborated with the back-end team to handle various data communications.

• Implemented Apple Sign-In and managed user JWTs (JSON Web Tokens) using Keychain.
• Created an API Manager using Alamofire, Moya, and Combine to handle server communications.
• Collaborated with the back-end team to connect each API to the views and designed the architecture around data.
• Implemented a custom image crop feature (zoom, move, rotate, crop).
• Developed views using computed properties, methods, and structures to improve readability and reusability.
• Defined and managed collaboration conventions using GitHub Issues, Pull Requests, Reviews, and SwiftLint.
• Handled the entire process of submitting the project for App Store review and releasing it.

I was responsible for the front-end development of Ssook, a game app that randomly selects a player to perform fun punishments by shaking a bubble tea cup. This project allowed friends to bond easily while enjoying various missions. I gained experience in implementing smooth animations for different views.

• Developed animations for the straw insertion based on user gestures and the random pearl view.
• Handled Korean postpositions by splitting Hangul syllables into initial, medial, and final consonants using Unicode.
• Adopted the MVVM architecture for the app and implemented data binding for randomly selected missions.
• Implemented a read-along mission view using STT (Speech-To-Text) functionality.
• Facilitated smooth collaboration among developers using Git and GitHub.

I developed the front-end for AllerView, a utility app that helps foreigners in Korea register their allergies and check for allergens in food ingredients by taking pictures. I gained experience in handling API requests and responses within the app using the ChatGPT API.

• Connected to OpenAI’s ChatGPT API using Swift Concurrency, Alamofire, and URLSession.
• Conducted prompt engineering to format the ChatGPT results for use in the app.
• Conducted user interviews and app testing with actual foreigners.
• Managed tasks and documentation using Notion and oversaw the entire project management.

I developed the front-end for WallaRun, an educational game app designed to highlight the dangers and addictive nature of drugs for teens. I gained experience in handling game graphics and physics engines using Apple's SpriteKit framework.

• Implemented game views and GameScene using SwiftUI and SpriteKit.
• Developed running and jumping abilities for the wallaby character.
• Implemented obstacle generation, collision detection, and health reduction on collisions.
• Created background movements and the finish line for the game.

Studying iOS development and working on projects provided me with a deep understanding of the entire development process and environment, and how designs are implemented. I also gained insights into the differences in perspective between developers and designers, and how to communicate effectively. This experience equipped me with the skills to view problems from both design and development perspectives and find the best solutions.