Engineering Elegance

Week 10: From Smooth UI Updates to Rough QR Scans

This week brought two major milestones: evolving our reactive UI system from basic polling to real-time change notifications, and tackling a tricky QR code authentication issue during a live event that taught me valuable lessons about debugging and secret key handling. Moving Beyond Polling When I first added reactive UI updates, I went with the simplest option: polling CouchDB every few seconds. The app would check its update_seq, and if something had changed, it would refetch the data. It worked, Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 9: Building Reactive UI with Smart Polling

This week I turned our app from a “refresh-to-see-updates” experience into something that feels truly live. After a few days of research and experimenting, I finally shipped a feature that makes the biggest difference for users during live events, especially for the emcee and judges: automatic UI updates. Smart Polling in Action Polling sounds simple, but real usage makes it tricky. Different roles may need different levels of responsiveness. For now, the most obvious cases are the Judge and Emcee, Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 8: Lessons from Deep Dive Testing

This week I finally experienced what it’s like to turn testing philosophy into practice and then watch it collide with real code. After a long stretch of trial and error with the QR-scanner tests, I was able to step back and see the bigger picture. Mocking Strategy Mocking started out feeling repetitive, so many when calls! But repetition revealed patterns. I created reusable helpers and fixtures, and learned to mock only what truly matters. For example, JWT tests don’t need Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 7: From Philosophy to Practice

Last week, I learned about building the right mindset for testing, focusing less on “proving success” and more on “finding boundaries.” This week, I finally moved from that philosophy into hands-on practice. My focus was on integration testing in Flutter, especially around the QR scanner journey. Understanding the Testing Layers More Clearly I deepened my understanding of the three main testing layers in Flutter: It became clear that each layer has its role. Unit and widget tests give speed and Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 6: Testing Mindset and Safer Conventions

After weeks of wrestling with the QR scanner, I’ve managed to get it to a point where I can finally start focusing on testing, which feels like reaching a checkpoint in a marathon I didn’t know I signed up for. It wasn’t easy (many “why isn’t this working” moments), but with Dr. Shawn’s guidance, I slowly pieced it together. With the scanner ready, my focus shifted from implementing features to implementing their tests. That’s where things got interesting. At first, Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 5: Best Practices in Action

If Week 4 was about understanding why clean code matters, Week 5 was about practicing the how. I noticed a pattern: the more I leaned on best practices, the less time I spent fighting my own code. This week wasn’t about big refactors, but about sharpening the small details that make code reliable, idiomatic, and easier to maintain. Fixing a Hidden Bug This week I ran into a null pointer exception when trying to access a performance’s event during a Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 4: Cleaner Code, Stronger Architecture

This week was less about adding shiny new features and more about writing clean, maintainable code. I realized that writing code isn’t just about making it work, it’s about making it safe, secure, and sustainable. A single misplaced file, a missing assert, or scattered logic might not break the app immediately, but it creates silent risks that will show up later. Week 4 became a turning point where I learned how to protect code, keep it organized, and respect clean Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 3: QR Scanner Implementation & Live System Support

Week 3 was where development met real-time pressure. I dove into implementing the QR code scanning workflow, translating an abstract idea into a working feature that users could interact with. At the same time, I stayed on call for live system operations, tackling issues as they surfaced. That constant switch between building and troubleshooting pushed me to think not only about functionality, but also about how resilient features need to be in real-world conditions. Building the QR Scanner Workflow The Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

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 Read more

By Nurazreen, ago

Week 1: Hitting the Ground Running

My first week of internship was a hands-on introduction to real-world development and event support. From providing on-site technical support to contributing to production-level development, I quickly transitioned from observation to contribution. I explored the technical stack, upgraded key integrations, and implemented a new AI-powered feature, all while learning how teamwork, code quality, and user experience intersect in a professional environment. Event Support & System Overview My internship began with direct involvement in a live event. I assisted with the Read more

By Nurazreen, ago