TECH Talks: What's After the Smartphone?

November 2020

The world is changing quickly and that's especially true of the mobile development job market where the demand for goods and services through our mobile apps is increasing significantly. This leads us to ask, 'but what's next?' Sales of smartphones and tablets are plateauing. We're seeing the beginning of the next evolution of mobile development. Here, we discuss the business opportunities in the mobile development industry.

We've pulled some of the top-tier developers and leaders in the mobile space together for this previously live panel discussion about building the experiences that are coming to platforms and devices beyond the smartphone. Learn about the recent shift in demand of skill sets from our panel of experts actively building and orchestrating cutting-edge projects.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come and how far we can still go in the world of mobile development. The entire world has had to adapt to a more digital world and develop mobile solutions to meet their business needs. The difference of only six months from March 2020 to today is staggering.

Although we can’t predict the future, we can study the patterns and trends are accelerating today for have a better idea of the skills we need to learn, the hardware we need to look out for, and the other variables to start watching now in preparation for this exciting and emerging future in mobile development.

The talented panelists are leaders in the mobile space and we brought them all together to discuss the trends in the market and share some of the cool projects they’re working on that are advancing the mobile development field. 

Sierra O'Bryan, Senior Android Developer at Atomic Robot
Sierra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics, a Master’s degree in Physics, and is earning a second Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is a leader in the Women Who Code and the Cincinnati Women in Tech communities with previous work experience in fintech and other software development and mobile roles. Her current role as Senior Android Developer consultant has her working on a number of proprietary mobile projects with business clients that are using technology to reshape their customer journey.

Jordan Higgins, Head of Immersive Experience at U.Group
Jordan began his career as an information architect and quickly grew into creative director and web designer roles, making his way into design and technology roles for the U.S. Senate and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Jordan has grown his career into the emerging technologies of VR/AR and XR with his current role as Head of Immersive Experience at U.Group where he leads projects to explore real-world applications for augmented, virtual and mixed realities that are changing the way we learn, collaborate and visualize data about the world around us.

Chris McKinney, Senior Director of West Coast Division at Computer Futures
After earning a degree in Biology with a specialization in genetics and neuroscience, Chris began his career using his science acumen in STEM staffing to find innovative companies and connect them with top life science talent. He’s been a leader within our organization for over 9 years and currently, Chris is the Director of our Mobile division in San Francisco, which recruits Mobile Engineers for companies across the West Coast. He’s also an Advisory Board Member of Breaking The Glass, an initiative founded by Computer Futures to help support female leadership and equal pay within the tech community. In addition, he’s also part of our Urban Ed program which is providing mentors from the tech industry to help under served communities get on to the job ladder.