🫧 New Features, FAQ Accordions, Hiring Insights, & Messly's Triumph!

Product Improvements: Scheduled Workflows & Page Loading Speed

For the end of the year, the Bubble team blessed us with two product enhancements that I believe every Bubbler has to be aware of:

1. Improved Performance & Reliability During Background Processing: Significant improvements on how Bubble manages scheduled API workflows were announced. The key takeaways include:

   • Isolated Server Capacity: Scheduled API workflows are now separated from foreground workflows and no longer impact app performance for end-users.

   • Elimination of Server Capacity Errors: Previously, active backend workflows might have been canceled in priority for frontend workflows. These capacity errors can now no longer occur and scheduled tasks will always be completed.

   • Improved Performance for Bulk Operations: Tasks like importing data, recalculations, and database updates benefit most from these improvements. Bulk operations will no longer impact user experience.

   In a benchmark test with 40’000 API workflows, the execution time was reduced by about two-thirds, from 106 minutes to 33 minutes.
   
   Overall, these changes mark a significant milestone in Bubble’s journey to support apps at any scale.

2. Improved Page Load Speeds: This one might sound marginal but by cutting the JavaScript payload by 7% all apps are now loading slightly faster. Detailed impact in seconds or Workload Units (WUs) is still unclear but it shows the commitment of Bubble to further improve this in 2024.

Build Tip: Animate Collapse Operations

This week's Build Tip unveils a small but mighty feature that'll add a touch of finesse to your designs.

Let's dive into creating a sleek FAQ card that reveals and hides answers with a click:

1. Basic Layout:

   • Main column group G:FAQ with an outset shadow for a modern touch.

   • Inside G:FAQ:

     • Question & chevron icon in row layout group G:Question.

     • Answer text in group G:Answer.

   

2. Configure G:Answer:

   • Ensure it's invisible on page load, using Collapse when hidden.

   • Select Slide Up/Down from the Animation style menu for a vertical expansion.

   

3. Enhance User Experience:

   Add a conditional to the chevron icon, changing its direction when the answer group is visible.

   

4. Workflow Magic:
   Add a Toggle action when the user clicks on G:Answer to show and hide the answer.

   

That's it! You've crafted a sleek accordion component. Take it up a notch by making it reusable, placing it in a Repeating group, and fetching Q&A from a database for a dynamic FAQ section.

Feeling these mini-tutorials? Too basic, or preferring curated content and news? Hit reply and share your thoughts. Your feedback helps me tailor the newsletter to perfection! 😄

How Messly Became an Industry Powerhouse

Bubble just dropped a new success story on their blog, and I'm thrilled to share the highlights with you:

• In 2016, Dr. Abrar Gundroo, a technology enthusiast turned doctor, founded Messly to fight inefficiencies in the British National Health Service (NHS).

• They initially started with a traditional development team, however quickly ran into slow progress and high costs.

• Looking for alternatives, Abrar taught himself Bubble and began building Messly on his own. Now acting as CTO, Abrar states that this shift to Bubble resulted in 12-20 times faster app development, giving them a competitive edge over their competition.

• To further their grwoth, Messly turned to BDK to turn their web solution into mobile apps for iOS and Android users.

• Without coding a single line, they amassed a network of 25,000 registered doctors, catching the eye of M3 - the world's largest physician network - and sealing the deal with an acquisition in summer 2023.

• Despite the acquisition and global expansion plans, Messly remains committed to using Bubble for its efficiency and scalability.

Discovering BDK through this success tale has piqued my interest, and Messly's journey reinforces the real-world potential of no-code businesses. Inspiring stuff!

How To Hire Bubble Developers

With the Bubble community expanding rapidly, the quest for finding top-notch Bubble developers is more challenging than ever. George Collier recently shared an insightful forum post (I've got your back as it is quite long!) detailing the art of finding your perfect technical partner.

Here's the gist:

1. Project Alignment with Bubble Strengths: Assess if your project matches with Bubble's strengths - fast development, and quick iterations with daily feature launches, ideal for data-centric web apps that go beyond static websites.

2. Agency vs. Freelancer Dilemma: Agencies offer comprehensive services at a higher cost, while freelancers are budget-friendly but may demand more of your managerial time. Budget considerations and your availability for project management are key factors for making this decision.

3. Find Developers: Craft a detailed job posting, including project description, deadlines, budget, and geographic restrictions, and share it on the Bubble forum or via the Bubble Request for Proposal form. (Personal note: Don't limit your search to these official channels - consider platforms like WeLoveNoCode, Codem4p or Upwork.)

4. Evaluate Developer Applications:

   • Virtually meet with the final candidates to assess communication, work style, and alignment of vision. Include a short technical problem-solving interview to gauge Bubble competence.

   • Quickly filter out candidates that didn’t follow your application instructions.

   • Evaluate portfolios, testimonials, forum activity, and certifications.

   • Virtually meet with the final 2-3 candidates to assess communication, work style, and alignment of vision. Include a short technical problem-solving interview to gauge Bubble competence.

5. Request Detailed Proposals & Sign the Contract: Get detailed project scopes, including requirements, deadlines, and payment information in writing from the developers that passed your evaluation. Compare the proposals and pick the developer that best fits your needs.

It's an exhaustive process, but worth it to be thorough. Remember, respect the developer's time - detailed proposals demand effort. If you're navigating the path to realising your app dream in 2024 and need advice, schedule a free call with me. Always happy to share insights from my previous experiences!