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The Challenge: Build and release an app that required less than 12 hours of work.
The Result: NYC Subway Status for Android

I’ve been beating the drum lately on the need to build things very quickly. I’ve found that despite loads of thinking and planning, often you don’t discover most of the real problems with your idea until you’re knee deep in development. Building something in a brief time period is meant to short circuit the process and avoid analysis paralysis.

Working this way, though, can be very stressful. You’re having to cut corners, to make compromises, and to eliminate functionality in order to meet your deadline. However, working like this also forces you to simplify your ideas and focus on the core user experience which can lead to a simpler, more refined final product. Sometimes it’s better to do one feature well than to cram in three or four features.

The result of this latest personal challenge is the NYC Subway Status app for Android. It was built in a few hours and does one thing very well — tells you if the NYC Subway lines are running smoothly, encountering delays, or scheduling maintenance. Here are some screenshots of the app in action.

You can install the app for free just by searching on the Android Market. Alternatively, you can scan in this barcode on your phone.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Version 1.0.3 now released!

Dear American Airlines and Japan Airlines.

This week I flew in business class from JFK to Singapore and you lost my luggage. The luggage was not delayed or misrouted, it was completely LOST.

Twelve hours after I landed in Singapore, there was still no sign of my bag, so I had to go out at my own expense and buy new business attire for my three days of client meetings.

For the next several days, I called both Japan Airlines and American Airlines twice a day to determine what happened, and neither airline could locate my bag. All they could tell me is that my bag tag number (403648) was cancelled at JFK before the plane took off and no one has seen the bag since. I find it hard to believe that in this age of heightened security, a bag can just be cancelled after check-in and disappear that easily, but this is what you’re telling me happened.

One week has passed, I’m now back in NYC from my business trip, and no progress has been made. The bag is probably gone for good, but what upsets me even more is that neither airline is taking responsibility for this and are pointing fingers at each other. Japan Airlines says that American Airlines never put the bag on my flight from JFK to Narita, so it’s American’s problem and I need to follow up with American. American Airlines says that since my final destination in Singapore was on Japan Airlines (apparently it doesn’t matter that it was an AA flight number), then I have to resolve this myself with Japan Airlines. I’ve talked to representatives at both airlines in their company wide 800 numbers, at the local offices in JFK and Singapore, and even to the Executive Platinum desk at American, and no one has an answer, just another number for me to call that eventually circles back around to where I started.

I’ve spent enough time calling people and filling out forms. I’m done. This needs to be resolved immediately. And I’m going to give you one last chance.

I’ve tried going through your channels, but that’s not working so I’m challenging you to resolve this here online. I’m giving you the chance to show the world your commitment to customer service. I fly your airline a lot (100K miles this year, 1.1 million in my lifetime), and I know the airline industry has taken a beating in this economy. I’m not here to berate you more. I want you to succeed. That’s why I’m giving you this opportunity. Don’t let me down,

-Will

UPDATE #1: The automated email system from American Airlines notified me that a file number was created. I2009/12-05761-00011-001-00. No contact from a real person though.

UPDATE #2: American Airlines has responded! They took the time to write me a long letter from their customer service department saying that Japan Airlines is responsible and that I need to follow up with them. Yes they did….