Its 2017, and ever evolving technology is working its way into every facet of our lives. So why not in skydiving? Yes, I know that there are a few apps out there to help us land, manifest and find gear but why not track our every movement and speed in the sky. Great idea? Well if you were thinking you could invent it you’re too late. The team at Boogie.io has been relentlessly working on such a program that not only logs our jumps but tracks our speed, altitude and rate of decent. Below you will find a brief interview with the Jason Thompson from the Boogie.io team. I hope you enjoy and don’t forget to download the app available in full for android and lite for IOS.
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Interview
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Jason Thompson
How did you become interested in skydiving? When did you start?
I was about two weeks into my first full-time job. I had a small office. My one window looked at a dimly lit hallway and the only bathroom door. The opposite side of the office revealed the exposed, uneven brick from the building’s original structure. I never turned on the fluorescent lights because the lighting crippled creativity. I was hired as a user experience designer; someone who makes software user-friendly and sexy (my definition).
I was about two weeks into my first full-time job. I had a small office. My one window looked at a dimly lit hallway and the only bathroom door. The opposite side of the office revealed the exposed, uneven brick from the building’s original structure. I never turned on the fluorescent lights because the lighting crippled creativity. I was hired as a user experience designer; someone who makes software user-friendly and sexy (my definition).
A small lamp barely lit the office to reveal a rare visitor: a death and dismemberment insurance assessor. She was a friendly lady with more questions than a suspicious mother.
After some small talk she began assessing my level of risk to her company. “Do you smoke cigarettes? Do you smoke Marijuana? Have you ever smoked Marijuana? How about Cocaine? How about Methamphetamines? How about LSD? Do you do steroids? (No but thank you for asking) Do you ride a motorcycle? Do you have a tattoo? Have you done this? Have you done that? How about this? How many times? When was the last time? … ”
“No, no, no, no, no...
well kinda,
No, No, no, no, Umm, on occasion...
Yes! Yes! I have a motorcycle! Yes I wear a helmet!
no, no, no, no, no, no, no ....”
well kinda,
No, No, no, no, Umm, on occasion...
Yes! Yes! I have a motorcycle! Yes I wear a helmet!
no, no, no, no, no, no, no ....”
After fifteen minutes of answering No, the meeting adjourned.
I’ll never forget the feeling when that lady left. Downcast, I thought to myself, “man, I live a boring life...”
That was the winter of 2012; the day I decided to pursue skydiving.
Boogie.io Team
What was your inspiration to start making apps and what drove you to start your company?
At first, the inspiration was simply a desire to learn more about app design and development. I wanted to stretch my skillset, so I thought Boogie would be a good project to accomplish this goal. The company simply came as a necessity when Jake and Joel joined the effort.
At first, the inspiration was simply a desire to learn more about app design and development. I wanted to stretch my skillset, so I thought Boogie would be a good project to accomplish this goal. The company simply came as a necessity when Jake and Joel joined the effort.
What is your most memorable moment as a skydiver?
Tough Question. A friend of ours has a balloon (lucky, right?!) and we’ve had numerous memorable adventures jumping out of that. Hard to narrow it down to just one.
Tough Question. A friend of ours has a balloon (lucky, right?!) and we’ve had numerous memorable adventures jumping out of that. Hard to narrow it down to just one.
What is your favorite part of making apps?
All us enjoy our part while building Boogie, but actually seeing people benefit from it is rewarding and keeps us motivated. We love seeing emails of people enjoying Boogie, which always leads into a feature request. We like that too, and we listen. It’s tough prioritizing features when there are so many possibilities.
What is your least favorite part of making apps?
All of us are product-oriented people. We each appreciate well-crafted products, so we hold ourselves to that standard. A high level of craft ranging from the design and icons you see to the development technologies and syntax. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of time and effort to attain that standard.
All us enjoy our part while building Boogie, but actually seeing people benefit from it is rewarding and keeps us motivated. We love seeing emails of people enjoying Boogie, which always leads into a feature request. We like that too, and we listen. It’s tough prioritizing features when there are so many possibilities.
What is your least favorite part of making apps?
All of us are product-oriented people. We each appreciate well-crafted products, so we hold ourselves to that standard. A high level of craft ranging from the design and icons you see to the development technologies and syntax. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of time and effort to attain that standard.
Why Apps and not rigging?
Of all the small skills required to be a skydiver, I joke packing is my worst. But more importantly, I’m passionate about design and the rest of the team is passionate about development. We believe Boogie could impact the skydive world in a positive way, so we’re pursuing that belief.
Of all the small skills required to be a skydiver, I joke packing is my worst. But more importantly, I’m passionate about design and the rest of the team is passionate about development. We believe Boogie could impact the skydive world in a positive way, so we’re pursuing that belief.
What's next for your company?
Good question. Each year, our efforts intensify. What started as a my pastime in a furnace room has evolved into an internationally coordinated effort with meetings, milestones, countless tools, timeframes, and strategy. It’s hard to know for sure, but in the short term we’re working toward maintaining two high quality apps (Android and iOS) and releasing updates more regularly. We’re all very excited about the 2017 season.
Good question. Each year, our efforts intensify. What started as a my pastime in a furnace room has evolved into an internationally coordinated effort with meetings, milestones, countless tools, timeframes, and strategy. It’s hard to know for sure, but in the short term we’re working toward maintaining two high quality apps (Android and iOS) and releasing updates more regularly. We’re all very excited about the 2017 season.
Where would you like to see your company in 10 years?
Oh man, almost impossible to guess, but I hope at our core, Boogie becomes a platform for people who seek adventure in the sky.
Our goal for Boogie is to transform into a platform where many people are documenting their adventures in their own creative way. More than photos and videos, or even metrics, but a creative logging platform that tells the story of a person’s pursuit to seize life. Breaking free from a templated logbook and graduating to a place of self-expression (sounds a bit romantic ha-ha)
We hope Boogie can directly or indirectly lower the barrier to entry into sports such as skydiving so others can partake in these pursuits. Ultimately, we hope this encourages more people to pursue and sustain life-giving activities like skydiving.
Oh man, almost impossible to guess, but I hope at our core, Boogie becomes a platform for people who seek adventure in the sky.
Our goal for Boogie is to transform into a platform where many people are documenting their adventures in their own creative way. More than photos and videos, or even metrics, but a creative logging platform that tells the story of a person’s pursuit to seize life. Breaking free from a templated logbook and graduating to a place of self-expression (sounds a bit romantic ha-ha)
We hope Boogie can directly or indirectly lower the barrier to entry into sports such as skydiving so others can partake in these pursuits. Ultimately, we hope this encourages more people to pursue and sustain life-giving activities like skydiving.
More than a LogBook
Do you have any advice for a new skydiver?
As a new skydiver, there is a lot to learn. Any time spent in the tunnel is largely beneficial. Getting the feel for body control during freefall without thinking about equipment, jump run, exit, altitude awareness, canopy flight, landing pattern, etc.
I think it would have been beneficial to learn how to pack so I could have cranked out more jumps that first season.
Lastly, and most importantly, a couple close friends to show you the ropes and keep you accountable as you pursue milestones.
Do you have any advice for anyone looking to progress in this sport?
Competitions. Competing drove us to perform at a higher level and learn faster.
My progression has been painfully slow, but last season some friends and I joined a four-way team and our skills increased dramatically. Tunnel time was a big factor too.
As a new skydiver, there is a lot to learn. Any time spent in the tunnel is largely beneficial. Getting the feel for body control during freefall without thinking about equipment, jump run, exit, altitude awareness, canopy flight, landing pattern, etc.
I think it would have been beneficial to learn how to pack so I could have cranked out more jumps that first season.
Lastly, and most importantly, a couple close friends to show you the ropes and keep you accountable as you pursue milestones.
Do you have any advice for anyone looking to progress in this sport?
Competitions. Competing drove us to perform at a higher level and learn faster.
My progression has been painfully slow, but last season some friends and I joined a four-way team and our skills increased dramatically. Tunnel time was a big factor too.
Available in the App store
What sets you apart from other apps that are similar ?
Good question. Logbook apps are becoming more common. We have confidence in key areas that drive us.
I’m most confident in our team and our dedication. There are currently four of us working toward Boogie’s mission. Everyone is extremely passionate and talented in their trade. In the three years of working on Boogie, our dedication, patience, and vision has been consistent.
I’m also confident in our user experience, interface design, and artwork. There are currently several logbooks that satisfy the necessary functions to replace their paper logbook. Few apps can deliver the caliber of user experience we’re pursuing.
From a platform standpoint, cloud-based storage is standard. It’s silly not to have a logbook saved on “the cloud”. I’ve seen too many friends lose or damage their physical logbooks. Storing logbook data locally on a phone is equally risky. If you’re going to take the time to sustain a logbook, save it in the cloud.
A challenging feat we accomplished on Android (and are currently working toward for iOS) is the ability to record skydives. Boogie returns altitude and vertical speed graphs immediately after saving. It also calculates exit altitude, opening altitude, freefall, and vertical speeds. We were pleasantly surprised to see the data has aligned very closely with each digital altimeter we’ve used as comparison.
Good question. Logbook apps are becoming more common. We have confidence in key areas that drive us.
I’m most confident in our team and our dedication. There are currently four of us working toward Boogie’s mission. Everyone is extremely passionate and talented in their trade. In the three years of working on Boogie, our dedication, patience, and vision has been consistent.
I’m also confident in our user experience, interface design, and artwork. There are currently several logbooks that satisfy the necessary functions to replace their paper logbook. Few apps can deliver the caliber of user experience we’re pursuing.
From a platform standpoint, cloud-based storage is standard. It’s silly not to have a logbook saved on “the cloud”. I’ve seen too many friends lose or damage their physical logbooks. Storing logbook data locally on a phone is equally risky. If you’re going to take the time to sustain a logbook, save it in the cloud.
A challenging feat we accomplished on Android (and are currently working toward for iOS) is the ability to record skydives. Boogie returns altitude and vertical speed graphs immediately after saving. It also calculates exit altitude, opening altitude, freefall, and vertical speeds. We were pleasantly surprised to see the data has aligned very closely with each digital altimeter we’ve used as comparison.
If you were a drink what would you be and why?
Keystone Light. I’m always smooth ;)
Keystone Light. I’m always smooth ;)
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Boogie.io is only available in the lite version for IOS at this point. A full version will be available later this this summer. With a full logbook signature process and altimeter. Make sure to DL and keep an eye out for updates. If you are using a Droid you will be good to go with the full version. If you have any questions or comments please email the Boogie.io team at the email provided below.
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Credits: Brian Casserly