In this edition of the AppleVis Extra, David Nason speaks to Jianfeng Wu, also known as Jeff, the creator of Voice Vista, winner of Developer of the Year in the 2024 AppleVis Golden Apple awards.
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by Aiko, an AI-powered transcription app. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers’ names, voices, or content.
Hello there, and welcome to another episode of the AppleVis Extra Podcast.
I am David Nason.
I'm delighted to be with you again talking about the 2024 Golden Apple Awards.
The awards were held at the end of 2024 on appleviz.com with the AppleViz user community voting and winners announced in December.
Today we are talking about and talking to the winner of the Developer of the Year award.
So delighted to be having that opportunity.
Today we had 12 nominees in this category and they were.
We had Act Nun AB who make the Eldrum Untold app or game.
Agile Bits Incorporated who make one password.
Ben Hills from the Anytime Player podcast player app.
Benvision Inc. who makes Speakaboo.
Jianfeng Wu who makes Voice Vista.
Junyu Quang, the creator of Mona for Mastodon and Spring for Twitter.
Seyvan Sukiasyan who makes Asmar Quest, another great game.
Sparkling Design who make Pixiebot.
Split Atom Labs, great name for a company, and they make the Land of Livia game.
Tapit Music GmbH who of course make Tapit.
Touchmint LLC who make the Adventure to Fate Lost Island game.
And No Stranger to the Golden Apples, we had Weather Gods LLC who of course make the Weather Gods weather app.
So great list of nominees there 12 and we have two honorable mentions, two runners up first.
And they were Pixiebot and Mona from Mastodon slash Spring for Twitter.
So congrats to those two runner up developers.
But our winner was Jianfeng Wu who makes as we said the Voice Vista navigation app.
And I'm delighted to be joined by Jianfeng today to talk about his app and his work.
Hello, Jeff, and welcome to the podcast.
How are you?
Good, thank you.
And firstly, congratulations on winning the Developer of the Year award, which is voted by the Appleviz community.
Yeah, it's great news.
Yeah, I'm glad too and thank you very much.
Thank you all my friends to vote.
Thank you.
Yeah, it's brilliant.
And for those maybe you don't know or haven't used it yet, do you want to start by just telling us a little bit about Voice Vista?
Oh, yeah, I can.
I like coding as platform on my spare time.
There are some side projects for myself in the case, for example, some turn-based games, some traditional chess, card games, or practice tools for the elementary and middle schools.
And I have some radio and the television station, but all that's for my side projects.
I have some other work.
So one of my strategy games I built, a lot of people, we sort of impaired played it because it's lucky it's accessible.
So one day, one of my friends, Greg, he sent me an email.
He said Microsoft will discontinue the app Starscape.
He said I may have interest to continue it.
It's about time about March 2024.
That's the beginning of Voice Vista.
So I used my spare time to start this side project.
You know, Microsoft is a great company.
Yeah, the AI, you know, for the open AI, blah, blah, blah.
Yeah, it's a great company.
Though I dive into the project, even though they stopped, but this code base and the design principle is great.
So the code base is great.
And yeah, so I know as a side project, I kind of use it directly because it's still a big creative farm company.
So it's very complex, including Azure backend, Postgres database, web, actually a lot of features.
So I just pick some very core implementation to start from very small subset and the limited features.
So I don't know if it's possible to reuse the name of Starscape because I guess it's coming from Microsoft.
It may have some copyrights or some trademark.
I don't know.
So I just map the name from sound map to voice, skip map through.
So that's it.
That makes a lot of sense.
That's for fun.
But even Microsoft have had a Windows version named Windows Vista.
So let's try to disclose the root from Microsoft.
Very cool.
So after a few weeks' works, I released the first version.
But yeah, at about 20, 30.
Before they totally discontinued the app or Starscape.
For example, the first version didn't post the street preview.
Yeah, yeah, very simple.
But anyway, they start.
I just try to start the project.
I try to create my best friends.
They play games.
They want to use it.
That's my initial science.
Yeah, because for those who don't know, Soundscape is an app that will give you instructions as you're walking around.
It gives you information about your surroundings as you're walking.
And it does it with 3D sound, which is why it was called a Soundscape or in your case a Vista.
So it'll speak in your left ear, your right ear, that kind of thing to give you that kind of directional information as well as what's around you.
And then as you said, you've built on that over time.
I think although you say, yeah, Microsoft handed you a nice, very nice code as a beginning, you've still done a huge amount of work.
Like you built a completely different user interface because there was another kind of clone, I guess, came along, which kept the Soundscape name and really just cloned the original app.
But what you did is you actually went in and you created a whole new user interface, whole new tabs, the whole lot, and redesigned the usability of the app.
So even though the underlying technology was taken from Microsoft, you've put a lot of your own design in there, haven't you?
Yeah, I already made it because it's created by a lot of people from big company.
So they used a lot of complex features, complex design.
So I'm just one person.
I don't want to handle so much bigger code base.
So I rewrite all UI parts, but the design is inspired from Microsoft.
So we still have root from Microsoft.
And the base structure, the base, all the core part is still the Microsoft part.
But I want to move faster so I can get the feedback faster, so update faster.
That's the idea.
So that's because, for example, first of all, we don't have any Street Preview feature.
But I'm surprised when I just released and tried to send out this, I got a lot of feedback from the community.
For example, just the second day, a guy named, I don't know how, because his name is not English name, but he sent an email, said, Street Preview was true game change feature.
Why you don't do that?
Okay, I said, he read a lot, very long email.
I don't know how they can, I can say something, yeah.
How they can write so long email with so many parts.
But I'm surprised.
So got a lot of some feedback like that.
He tells me he needed that.
So I dive more and add Street Preview after another release.
For example, like something like that.
After one month, yeah, we reached a totally new milestone.
I can say all frequency and other features are supported.
Including Siri, some sort of cars, Street Preview, direction tracking, headphones, blah, blah, blah.
What happens is Microsoft spotted the core features and I changed them to more maintainable and to remove all unnecessary coders and use the newest.
The code started from eight or ten years ago.
So there are some deprecated features and deprecated code.
I cleaned up, I rewrite, I use the newest code technology from Apple.
I replaced some, all the Microsoft specific feature for email use being use some remote all that's making the words as simple.
That's the first step.
That's amazing.
Like you must love coding to put that much time and effort in and to have it up to that level within months of releasing us.
You must really enjoy it.
Yes, in the beginning, you know, I'm encouraged by our community and I have a lot of people help to set up the WhatsApp group and they join that and give feedback very fast.
And I released the test version, test flight version.
They tried and gave feedback.
That's great.
And all the people are very friendly.
So I feel great.
I'm glad I can help anybody try to use this app.
Yes.
It must be satisfying to make an app that you know is actually helping people.
Entertaining apps are great too, but this one's actually as well.
It's helping people get to work or get to school or whatever they have to do.
Yeah.
And I want to mention that that's not only my effort.
For example, I only know English and my native language is Mandarin.
So for all other translation, I use some AI tools, pay some money to US to translate from English to other languages.
For now, almost 50, yeah, more 45 or 46 languages.
I started from a machine translator, but a lot of people help to fix, you know, the machine translators, sometimes ridiculous translators.
They help to fix them.
All of them are from the community.
There is a repository in GitHub.
Everybody wants to try to fix them.
They can send an email to me.
I will push that language tool to this.
I've seen that in the release notes where you say, I don't know, for example, Danish translation provided by, and the person is credited.
It's lovely to see that people are contributing.
Yeah.
And I have got some feedback.
Some people ask the Apple watch spot.
So I added it, because before I never had an Apple watch.
But they said, okay, sometimes use Apple watch to control or easy to navigate.
Yeah, I try to add some features.
And a lot of another change, I had some pride because the high customization.
Because all the users said, I need something, but no, I don't want the feature.
To make, I find that because it's a very unique market or need to use the base.
So let's customize, support, let's customize because all users need the feature.
And they want fast access, accessible.
Generally, after you don't need to, that's a lot of custom because for you, very easy to change something.
But for this community, they want to, yeah, high customization.
So we want it to be, we're difficult.
We want it to be simple, but we also want a lot of customization.
Yeah, this part changes a lot of time.
But after the structure redefined, now the customization is okay.
It's not very hard.
If anybody wants more customization, I can just use some, yeah, quickly.
Okay, that's great.
And then have new features.
Some people ask for new features.
For example, they want to use a vehicle, a car.
Oh yeah, but your information, so we needed to use different voice, speed, speech, speed, car, running faster.
The information will be clear, killed.
And there is not a sense.
Yeah, because I would use it that way.
Sometimes if I'm in a taxi, I will put voice Vista in just so I know it's giving me little piece of information as I go.
So I know the taxi is going the right way.
I know when we're approaching my home, you know what I mean?
So it's not maybe giving you all of the information that you'd get if you were walking because it hasn't got the time, but it's still giving you key pieces of information.
So, you know, you're on the correct route.
Yeah.
And I may have some example of as somebody asked to add some more information.
If you're in the soundscape and if no digital information called for the POIs, that's trivial, but it's still helpful.
And you've added in things that weren't, I think, anyway, I'm right in saying weren't even in soundscape as well, like breadcrumbs and routes.
So, you know, did they come from user requests as well?
For route, would you please repeat?
How you can put in, you know, a route to sort of to get directions?
Yeah, directions.
Yeah, that's that's somebody asking this.
So can we give them navigation instructions?
Step by step.
Yeah, that's that's a new feature.
Yes.
Yeah.
Honestly, I didn't use it in the January.
I always requirements from from the community.
Oh, was that difficult to do?
It's OK. I like coding best platform.
So it's a pity.
A lot of people ask, can we do some Android?
I a few years ago, I programmed, I enjoyed it too, but Google is not very friendly.
They, they asked me to a lot of natural things and I think I can't.
So recently I didn't have planned to have one.
Maybe I guess if more than one million users, then I can try to create another Android version.
For now, I'm still busy.
But this is a side project.
I can only about use the night time and weekend time to for this project.
That's very cool.
So we're on Apple this so we're more interested in where as long as the iOS app is good, we're happy on Apple is.
Yeah, Apple.
Yeah, that platform is good.
There are a lot of feature internal and it in a lot of faster.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And you mentioned earlier, like other other things you've done, other apps and things.
So were you very familiar with voiceover?
Because obviously one part of it was you were creating the actual navigation app, but you also have to make it accessible to the voiceover screen reader.
Were you familiar with that before you started this project?
For games, I guess just one of friend, I guess the game player asked me in the beginning, I don't think I didn't think how to use it in the beginning.
I don't know.
And just the acquaintance, some people found my old one, all game is accessible.
But in the beginning, it's not very accessible.
It's almost accessible.
So I guess I can do that.
So I tried to learn how to use voiceover feature.
It's a little harder for the you have to screen reader.
But for now, I'm very pleased with that.
Yeah, that's great.
That's interesting.
Well, that's great because I guess it shows like you won the award you've won was the developer of the year.
So it's not just about the app.
It's about you as a person and the fact that you are listening to the community and that you're engaged with people who are using your app.
You come to applevis.com, you tell us about the app.
So I guess that's a really important part of what you do is listening to users and speaking to users.
Yeah, anyway, but I'm happy because there are a lot of friendly good friends in the community.
That's great.
I like to have them.
And you know, one of my best friend uses.
So that's good.
He'll be honest anyway, won't he?
And I feel good.
Thank you.
Thank you, everybody.
And yeah, and so I got the honor from you.
That's great.
That's pretty good.
So I suppose the last question is future plans or what are you thinking?
You know, are there are there requests that users have put in that you're considering, you know, for 2025 or is it a case of maintaining the app now?
This year, OK, I don't have a lot of time of this project.
This year, just so now I just try to add more translations.
I check where the new if some some people from some country use this app.
I will try to add their language.
That's the first time.
That's generally normally I can do it half automatically.
But a lot more time I use machine translator just to do some.
And I have some data in this feature because, you know, I rewrite the road part, because in the beginning is a soundscape you have to create a mark.
Then add these marks to create a route, right?
That's not making sense because you just need.
So I could rewrite the whole road part.
You can generate the route automatically from the GPX or just the latest Apple map.
You don't need to create any mark.
This is totally different part.
But I have some things that need to clean up for this part.
But it's not easy.
This user don't feel better.
That's the time I want to clean the bad code, the bad smell code.
Yeah.
And another possibility I can guarantee.
I try to add more features to Apple Watch because somebody asks.
Because currently Apple Watch feature is limited.
It either work as a remote control to the app or very simple.
Just to tell you the nearest POI.
Here's the intersection.
Something like that.
I'm I'm I try.
I may try to support the markers and the router in the Apple Watch.
A little considerable less is the battery.
Because if you need more features, more power needed.
Yeah.
You want the watch to be just small important pieces of information, I guess.
Yeah.
I'm not have a lot of confidence in this work.
Because if the battery is too fast, it's useless.
But somebody said they need it.
For example, somebody said you want to run or walk or someone said he like to kayak.
I'm surprised.
He just because he just want to use the watch to back to land.
Some feature like that.
Maybe that's a possibility.
Because after maybe this year, if I want to do that, that's like that.
So I bought Apple Watch and tried to do more research and more features.
Brilliant.
Well, I'm sure if you are thinking of anything like that and you want to post on the website, people will be more than happy to feedback and to test and all that kind of stuff.
I know you have beta testers, so I'm sure people will be interested.
So yeah, do keep us keep us informed.
It's brilliant.
I know the app is free as well for people, but they can also choose to donate money.
Is that correct?
Yes.
You don't need to do that.
No, I have to because all features is there.
But yeah, but I have some server costs.
I need to host server and Apple account.
Something like that.
I'm on Amazon.
I import an overture map from California, USA, Germany, all North America and all Europe and most part of Asia.
I add a lot of overture map data from the Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook.
Not only open street map, but only for the business police point, POIs.
Because it cost some money to host on Amazon.
So yeah, if somebody wants to donate, that's just good.
But it's not how to because I know some people make that's not how to.
That's like charity.
Yeah, if you can, you can, but you don't have to.
That's lovely.
I know the whole community really appreciates the app, really appreciates the work that you put into it.
And so I'm delighted that you won the award.
And thank you again for joining me today.
Thank you very much.
Okay.
And thanks everybody for listening.
Bye bye.
Bye bye.