Week 2: Refining Features & Optimizing Performance

This week was all about polishing last week’s work, boosting performance, and making sure features weren’t just functional but also aligned with our project’s design and reliability standards. I wrapped up the spell checker, added a debounce system to improve local storage usage, and saw firsthand how small tweaks can make a big impact on both user experience and system efficiency.

Refining the Spell Checker

Last week’s spell checker worked well, but it still had room for refinement. My focus was on maintainability and visual consistency:

• Replaced direct ScaffoldMessenger calls with shared utility functions for displaying errors and feedback.
• Applied programmatic icon sizing using IconTheme.of(context).size instead of hardcoded values.
• Added UI separators (e.g., VerticalDivider) for better visual structure.

These refinements brought the spell checker in line with the rest of the application and made the codebase easier to maintain in the long run.

Optimizing Comment Saving with Debouncing

Previously, every keystroke triggered an immediate save to local storage. While it kept data safe, it came with a trade-off: excessive write operations could slow things down, increase storage wear, and, in some cases, cause subtle lags in typing. It was a classic case of “safe, but not smart.”

To fix this, I added a 1.5-second debounce with an extra safeguard. Now, as soon as a field changes, the onChanged handler sets poppable = false so the app knows there are unsaved edits.

Here’s how it works:

1. On each keystroke, a timer starts
2. If more typing occurs before the timer expires, the timer resets
3. The comment only saves to local cache after 1.5 seconds of inactivity

This hybrid approach ensures the UI always knows when data hasn’t been saved, reduces unnecessary storage writes, and keeps typing smooth with no noticeable lag.

Reflections & Insights

• Improving a feature can be just as valuable as building a new one.
• Shared utilities and consistent UI patterns save time for both developers and users.
• Debouncing boosts performance but must be paired with safeguards to protect data.
• Local caching can make apps feel faster without sacrificing safety.
• Navigation state management is key to avoiding data loss and frustration.

This week reinforced that optimization isn’t just about speed, it’s about balancing safety, performance, and maintainability. Even a small logic change can improve long-term efficiency and the overall user experience.

What’s Coming Up

Next, I’ll be adding a QR scanner to the interface, enabling real-time attendance tracking and direct integration with the Competition Management System for faster, more accurate check-ins.