Developer Spotlight: Gregorz Trubilowicz of Cooklet
Grzegorz Trubilowicz is the Founder & CEO of Cooklet (@CookletApp), but perhaps more importantly, a foodie who loves great, usable designs and smart implementations of mobile technologies. Prior to Cooklet, Greg launched IKS design studio and IKS Mobile games developer with successful titles like Crazy Matches and Cubic Republic. You can find him on Twitter (@Trubilowicz) and Facebook
Tell us a little about yourself
I’ve been in the mobile industry since 2004 starting with game design for J2ME games which eventually transformed into own mobile studio. In 2007, we created one of the first truly cross-screen, multiplayer game - Tropictos, where users could use Nintendo Wii, Nokia smartphones, PCs and Sony PSP to play it. Then, after two years of working on different multi-platform projects: the idea emerged: Cooklet!
At first sight, Cooklet seems to be just another recipe website. What makes it standout?
Cooklet.com is just a part of our culinary platform. Truth be told, the website is not our priority at the moment as we concentrate on mobile devices, tablets especially. I believe that the current tablet app is just an awesome cooking assistant, see for yourself. We wouldn’t be able to deliver this kind of experience on the web and that’s why we focus on mobile platforms. In our attempt to go beyond just a great cooking app, a new Cooklet will be launched shortly, so stay tuned.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far while working with Cooklet?
For me the biggest lesson to learn is how to cook along the way of building this platform. I’m not objective, though I can see a slow but steady progress on that matter. Cooking’s fun and a very creative process which I really enjoy. In the same time it’s a great pleasure for yourself but also for your friends and family.
Other than the tricky culinary part, I believe it’s crucial to have a solid, unique product. That helps a lot in building relations with bigger companies. Part of our current success is that Sony and BlackBerry promote us heavily in their app stores and in their product campaigns like the one of their Cradle dock. Developing a top-notch app takes time, as does building relationships with corporations, but it’s definitely worth it.
We noticed Cooklet went with PlayBook. What made you decide to go with BlackBerry first and do other platforms intrigue you?
PlayBook users are our most active community right now, with some of them returning to the app more than 60 times monthly. We’ve also managed to gather a great number of very good reviews and more than 600 000 downloads so far. It was a risky move but as you can see it’s a great platform to be on.
As for the other platforms – we already have a version available for Android Tablets on Google Play, but also on Toshiba’s App Place and Amazon App Store. Shortly, with the introduction of New Cooklet, we’ll publish it on the Apple’s App Store with NOOK Apps to follow.
What’s the most exciting technology announcement you’ve seen this year (and why)?
Falcon from SpaceX doing NASA’s job, awesome! That was unthinkable even a couple of years ago. It’s great to see this huge idea of one entrepreneur realized in such a short time. It was a big bet for Elon Musk that seems to pay off now. I just can’t wait to see what’s next, houses on the moon?
On the mobile ground – BlackBerry 10 looks really solid. I played with it last week and it’s incredibly smooth. Looking forward to the launch.
What phone are you rocking right now?
BlackBerry Torch 9810
What apps do you use most?
Facebook, Twitter, Nobex Radio
You’re our first spotlight from Poland. How is the mobile developer community there?
It’s actually pretty solid and growing. In Wroclaw alone, where we’re based, there are at least dozens of mobile companies, with Tequila Mobile as one of the leading developers. Their Tequila Planet platform has more than 10M unique users worldwide! New startups are coming everyday and you should hear about them shortly.
If you had one piece of advice for your fellow developers, what would it be?
We have a rule in the company – always go for gold. You can understand it in many different ways but while you develop an app make sure it’s the best. There’s a lot of them right now so yours has to stand out from the crowd. It doesn’t have to have all the features another title has, just make sure you help your users solve some real pain. Concentrate on that and try to deliver a unique experience. Finally, install some statistics in the app, analyze your crucial metrics and iterate, innovate to make sure they come to your app and keep coming back. Good luck fellow devs! ☺
I’m always available on Twitter @Trubilowicz and Facebook if you have any questions. Happy to help. Cheers!