our history
The story, so far…
A spark fueled by intuition.
It was 2010 when Adapptor was born from the contrarian idea that the hyper-convenience of mobile computing would be the new black in tech. The truth was in the data. Mobile apps were already overtaking the web for session time and ‘smart’ phones were on everyone’s Christmas wishlist. In the hardware race, early iPhones had already beaten Blackberry to a pulp, the best of the rest were going all in on Android with the exception of Nokia, who dug its own grave getting hooked up with Microsoft and getting pregnant with "Windows Phone".
It was 2010 when Adapptor was born from the contrarian idea that the hyper-convenience of mobile computing would be the new black in tech. The truth was in the data. Mobile apps were already overtaking the web for session time and ‘smart’ phones were on everyone’s Christmas wishlist. In the hardware race, early iPhones had already beaten Blackberry to a pulp, the best of the rest were going all in on Android with the exception of Nokia, who dug its own grave getting hooked up with Microsoft and getting pregnant with "Windows Phone".
It was 2010 when Adapptor was born from the contrarian idea that the hyper-convenience of mobile computing would be the new black in tech. The truth was in the data. Mobile apps were already overtaking the web for session time and ‘smart’ phones were on everyone’s Christmas wishlist. In the hardware race, early iPhones had already beaten Blackberry to a pulp, the best of the rest were going all in on Android with the exception of Nokia, who dug its own grave getting hooked up with Microsoft and getting pregnant with "Windows Phone".
This begged a number of questions. How would this emerging mobile trend impact business? Was the desktop web dead? And, most importantly, once the infatuation with Koi Pond, Angry Birds and iBeer wore off, who was going to build all the serious business apps?
This begged a number of questions. How would this emerging mobile trend impact business? Was the desktop web dead? And, most importantly, once the infatuation with Koi Pond, Angry Birds and iBeer wore off, who was going to build all the serious business apps?
This begged a number of questions. How would this emerging mobile trend impact business? Was the desktop web dead? And, most importantly, once the infatuation with Koi Pond, Angry Birds and iBeer wore off, who was going to build all the serious business apps?
Our bet was on the rise of the mobile agency, a highly specialised mobile app production team focused entirely on building business and government services for phones. And so, with bootstraps pulled uncomfortably tight, off we went to make the future.
Our bet was on the rise of the mobile agency, a highly specialised mobile app production team focused entirely on building business and government services for phones. And so, with bootstraps pulled uncomfortably tight, off we went to make the future.
Our bet was on the rise of the mobile agency, a highly specialised mobile app production team focused entirely on building business and government services for phones. And so, with bootstraps pulled uncomfortably tight, off we went to make the future.
A path carved alone… at first.
By early 2011 we’d made very little progress. Like all start-ups we had a logo, some self assembled Ikea desks and some (very) enthusiastic team members. Unfortunately the Australian market didn’t share our enthusiasm for building apps as they struggled to support their existing web sites and services.
By early 2011 we’d made very little progress. Like all start-ups we had a logo, some self assembled Ikea desks and some (very) enthusiastic team members. Unfortunately the Australian market didn’t share our enthusiasm for building apps as they struggled to support their existing web sites and services.
By early 2011 we’d made very little progress. Like all start-ups we had a logo, some self assembled Ikea desks and some (very) enthusiastic team members. Unfortunately the Australian market didn’t share our enthusiasm for building apps as they struggled to support their existing web sites and services.
But consumer pressure is a powerful force and some industries knew they had no choice but to respond. It was no coincidence that travel and tourism, banking, education and health sectors were early pace setters and where we got some early breaks, building the first apps for Tourism WA, HBF and Curtin University to name a few.
But consumer pressure is a powerful force and some industries knew they had no choice but to respond. It was no coincidence that travel and tourism, banking, education and health sectors were early pace setters and where we got some early breaks, building the first apps for Tourism WA, HBF and Curtin University to name a few.
But consumer pressure is a powerful force and some industries knew they had no choice but to respond. It was no coincidence that travel and tourism, banking, education and health sectors were early pace setters and where we got some early breaks, building the first apps for Tourism WA, HBF and Curtin University to name a few.
Creativity
came first.
Our early years also saw lots of experimentation, often in collaboration with creative digital agencies who, like us, were trying to drag their clients into the future. Mobile was the intersection point for AR, (early) VR and whatever the latest thing that was happening in geo-spatial tech. So we bought every kick-starter gadget we could possibly integrate with and hacked away to see what we could make. This saw us win contracts with Mattel Toys to create AR experiences for Barbie and Thomas the Tank Engine plus experiential work for Star Wars and Georgio Armani. Struth, we even built a mobile music mix-desk for Wild Turkey Bourbon in collaboration with DJ Flume: This app had AR, QR, ‘Mobile Collectibles’; this thing had all the buzz words.
Our early years also saw lots of experimentation, often in collaboration with creative digital agencies who, like us, were trying to drag their clients into the future. Mobile was the intersection point for AR, (early) VR and whatever the latest thing that was happening in geo-spatial tech. So we bought every kick-starter gadget we could possibly integrate with and hacked away to see what we could make. This saw us win contracts with Mattel Toys to create AR experiences for Barbie and Thomas the Tank Engine plus experiential work for Star Wars and Georgio Armani. Struth, we even built a mobile music mix-desk for Wild Turkey Bourbon in collaboration with DJ Flume: This app had AR, QR, ‘Mobile Collectibles’; this thing had all the buzz words.
Our early years also saw lots of experimentation, often in collaboration with creative digital agencies who, like us, were trying to drag their clients into the future. Mobile was the intersection point for AR, (early) VR and whatever the latest thing that was happening in geo-spatial tech. So we bought every kick-starter gadget we could possibly integrate with and hacked away to see what we could make. This saw us win contracts with Mattel Toys to create AR experiences for Barbie and Thomas the Tank Engine plus experiential work for Star Wars and Georgio Armani. Struth, we even built a mobile music mix-desk for Wild Turkey Bourbon in collaboration with DJ Flume: This app had AR, QR, ‘Mobile Collectibles’; this thing had all the buzz words.
And impact
followed.
By 2016, battle hardened by these early and tricky marketing experiments, we turned our attention back to more serious business apps. It occurred to us that mapping and location awareness was mobile's trump card over the desktop web. So we went looking for business and government services that relied heavily on location awareness for everyone in the supply chain.
By 2016, battle hardened by these early and tricky marketing experiments, we turned our attention back to more serious business apps. It occurred to us that mapping and location awareness was mobile's trump card over the desktop web. So we went looking for business and government services that relied heavily on location awareness for everyone in the supply chain.
By 2016, battle hardened by these early and tricky marketing experiments, we turned our attention back to more serious business apps. It occurred to us that mapping and location awareness was mobile's trump card over the desktop web. So we went looking for business and government services that relied heavily on location awareness for everyone in the supply chain.
This was our ‘planes, trains and automobiles phase’. We built market leading apps for Wilson Parking, Perth Airport, Department of Transport and Transperth. Apps to streamline logistics for Kleenheat Gas, CBH Group and Department of Fisheries followed. Looking back it was these apps that forged Adapptor into the business it is today, a specialist in business critical mobile services at the intersection of location, context and transactions.
As criticality increased, quality became non-negotiable.
With our apps now at the heart of large organisations’ operations, the criticality of these new services required us to adapt our own processes. By 2019 it was clear that client QA/test expertise (often centred around web applications) was not fit for the mobile game. Apps went everywhere, including the remotest parts of Australia. Testing for patchy rural connections plus the extension of mobile apps into watches and car touch screens presented increasingly complex test requirements. And on top of this there were hundreds of new phones being launched each year to find test coverage for. Needless to say, testing for mobile was (and still is) a monster of a task.
But rather than whinge about it, from 2019 we set about building the best app test team in the business. Today this team represents almost a quarter of our people supported by the latest in QA tooling and of course a well stocked device lab.
But rather than whinge about it, from 2019 we set about building the best app test team in the business. Today this team represents almost a quarter of our people supported by the latest in QA tooling and of course a well stocked device lab.
But rather than whinge about it, from 2019 we set about building the best app test team in the business. Today this team represents almost a quarter of our people supported by the latest in QA tooling and of course a well stocked device lab.
A changing world reignites focus.
By early 2020, unbeknownst to us, we were already well prepared for a global pandemic. With the exception of our travel and tourism clients, our focus on building critical business and government services supported by a market leading test team would serve us well when COVID came knocking. But after some early economic wobbles the market soon realised that the business world would still turn. Food and fuel still had to be delivered, people still needed to catch buses, park their cars and keep an eye out for the sharks. Plus the new obsession with ‘social distancing’ spawned eager investment into new ways to self-serve. Fortunately for us, at the heart of many of these new services were apps. Phew!
By early 2020, unbeknownst to us, we were already well prepared for a global pandemic. With the exception of our travel and tourism clients, our focus on building critical business and government services supported by a market leading test team would serve us well when COVID came knocking. But after some early economic wobbles the market soon realised that the business world would still turn. Food and fuel still had to be delivered, people still needed to catch buses, park their cars and keep an eye out for the sharks. Plus the new obsession with ‘social distancing’ spawned eager investment into new ways to self-serve. Fortunately for us, at the heart of many of these new services were apps. Phew!
By early 2020, unbeknownst to us, we were already well prepared for a global pandemic. With the exception of our travel and tourism clients, our focus on building critical business and government services supported by a market leading test team would serve us well when COVID came knocking. But after some early economic wobbles the market soon realised that the business world would still turn. Food and fuel still had to be delivered, people still needed to catch buses, park their cars and keep an eye out for the sharks. Plus the new obsession with ‘social distancing’ spawned eager investment into new ways to self-serve. Fortunately for us, at the heart of many of these new services were apps. Phew!
And a new world begins.
Now looking to the future, with 15 years (and over 5 million downloads) under our belt, the world of development is changing again. If you believe the hype, AI will put everyone out of a job. But the truth about the future of mobile app development is more nuanced.
Now looking to the future, with 15 years (and over 5 million downloads) under our belt, the world of development is changing again. If you believe the hype, AI will put everyone out of a job. But the truth about the future of mobile app development is more nuanced.
Now looking to the future, with 15 years (and over 5 million downloads) under our belt, the world of development is changing again. If you believe the hype, AI will put everyone out of a job. But the truth about the future of mobile app development is more nuanced.
The truth is, tooling to deliver business outcomes improves every day. But the problems remain the same. Better tooling delivers outcomes faster, and if wielded by an experienced craftsman, even faster. And this is our view of the next 15 years.
The truth is, tooling to deliver business outcomes improves every day. But the problems remain the same. Better tooling delivers outcomes faster, and if wielded by an experienced craftsman, even faster. And this is our view of the next 15 years.
The truth is, tooling to deliver business outcomes improves every day. But the problems remain the same. Better tooling delivers outcomes faster, and if wielded by an experienced craftsman, even faster. And this is our view of the next 15 years.
With our deep experience in understanding unique business needs and decades of knowledge in building enterprise systems, we believe that the future of development will allow us to work closer to the problem, and be more human. Better tooling gives us more time to work alongside you and ensure we’re building the right thing. Encouragingly, the time to value will decrease, but as in the past it’s determining what is of value that is the most critical part of software.
With our deep experience in understanding unique business needs and decades of knowledge in building enterprise systems, we believe that the future of development will allow us to work closer to the problem, and be more human. Better tooling gives us more time to work alongside you and ensure we’re building the right thing. Encouragingly, the time to value will decrease, but as in the past it’s determining what is of value that is the most critical part of software.
With our deep experience in understanding unique business needs and decades of knowledge in building enterprise systems, we believe that the future of development will allow us to work closer to the problem, and be more human. Better tooling gives us more time to work alongside you and ensure we’re building the right thing. Encouragingly, the time to value will decrease, but as in the past it’s determining what is of value that is the most critical part of software.
At Adapptor, we’re obsessive with our approach to understanding technology and how it might benefit you. It’s our job to stay across everything so you don’t have to, because that’s baked into our values and we’re inquisitive, user-centric, prepared and adaptable. When working alongside us, you benefit from a team of 30+ local engineers, testers and product people geared towards solving problems that don’t yet have a solution, and the question is always, can we build it?
You bet, because we have...
At Adapptor, we’re obsessive with our approach to understanding technology and how it might benefit you. It’s our job to stay across everything so you don’t have to, because that’s baked into our values and we’re inquisitive, user-centric, prepared and adaptable. When working alongside us, you benefit from a team of 30+ local engineers, testers and product people geared towards solving problems that don’t yet have a solution, and the question is always, can we build it?
You bet, because we have...
At Adapptor, we’re obsessive with our approach to understanding technology and how it might benefit you. It’s our job to stay across everything so you don’t have to, because that’s baked into our values and we’re inquisitive, user-centric, prepared and adaptable. When working alongside us, you benefit from a team of 30+ local engineers, testers and product people geared towards solving problems that don’t yet have a solution, and the question is always, can we build it?
You bet, because we have...
