"I want to be able to create Shopify apps."
When you start researching with that thought, you'll initially find yourself in uncharted territory.
How do I write the code?
What technologies should I use?
How do Shopify and apps connect?
How do I publish an app I've created?
Even if you can look up each term individually, many people likely find themselves thinking, "Ultimately, I don't know what to do in what order to create a Shopify app."
Nadeshiko, a Tech Geek graduate whom we interviewed this time, was precisely in such a state before enrolling.
Currently, she is involved in Shopify site construction, operation support, and ad management. However, before joining Tech Geek, her programming experience was limited to studying React for about an hour a day for several months during breaks from work.
From there, she learned Shopify app development at Tech Geek, and after graduation, she conceived her own ideas, conducted research, organized requirements, proceeded with implementation, testing, and approval, and actually released a public app.
What changed compared to before she enrolled?
And what state are you in after studying at Tech Geek?
Through Nadeshiko's experience, we will introduce one example of what lies beyond learning Shopify app development at Tech Geek.
"How easy would it be if I could create apps myself?"
Nadeshiko's interest in Shopify app development stemmed from her current job.
When assisting with Shopify construction and operation, she received various requests from clients.
However, not all of them could be fulfilled using only Shopify's standard features.
Sometimes, an app had to be installed, or multiple apps had to be combined.
Moreover, she sometimes encountered situations where combining multiple apps resulted in unexpected behavior due to compatibility issues.
Through these repeated experiences, Nadeshiko began to wonder,
How easy would it be if I could create apps myself?
This meant not just searching for existing apps that closely matched requirements, but being able to create the features clients truly needed herself.
That was why she started learning Shopify app development.
Before the course, I "didn't understand the big picture, let alone the code."
However, Nadeshiko didn't have a clear idea of what Shopify app development entailed at the time.
It wasn't just programming that she didn't understand.
For example,
What do you do after creating an app?
How do you submit it?
What's the difference between a public app and a custom app?
What is the overall flow of Shopify app development?
These were some of the things she didn't grasp.
This is a common stumbling block when trying to learn Shopify app development on your own.
Even if you research how to write code, if you don't understand the overall app development process,
"What am I doing right now?"
"What should I do next?"
remains unclear.
Regarding her initial learning phase, Nadeshiko said,
At first, I didn't understand anything.
When I didn't understand the order of things, everything felt difficult.
She said.
It wasn't that each individual technology was difficult, but rather that she didn't understand how they all connected to form a single Shopify app.
That was the first major hurdle.
After creating about three apps, the "order" finally became clear.
So, when did the overall picture of Shopify app development finally become clear to her?
Nadeshiko mentioned it was before graduating from Tech Geek.
It was after creating about three apps, including small ones.
I gradually started to understand the development order.
She didn't understand everything from the start.
She actually built apps and experienced, "I need this process here" and "These two things are connected," one by one.
By repeating this several times, the isolated pieces of knowledge gradually began to connect.
Learning Shopify app development isn't just about accumulating knowledge.
It's about experiencing the entire development process yourself and learning "how to think about things in what order."
For Nadeshiko, this started to become clear before graduation.
What she felt upon graduation was not "I understood everything," but "I saw a glimmer of hope."
Does graduating from Tech Geek mean you'll understand everything about Shopify app development?
Nadeshiko's answer was not so straightforward.
When asked what changed the most between before enrolling and now, this is what she said:
It's that I saw a glimmer of hope from being in a state of 'I have no idea what's going on.'
From a state where I understood nothing, I started to see areas where I understood 'a little bit.'
She continued.
I believe these words accurately describe the state after graduating from Tech Geek.
It doesn't mean you can solve everything by yourself.
There are still unknown APIs.
There are still errors you haven't encountered before.
There are still types of apps you haven't built.
Nevertheless, it's a significant difference from before enrolling.
Instead of "I don't understand anything," it becomes,
"I should probably research around here."
"Let's check this first."
"If I proceed in this order, it seems like it could become an app."
You become able to think this way.
It's not about knowing all the answers, but about being able to move forward while searching for the answers yourself.
That was the change that happened to Nadeshiko.
After graduation, she truly started building a public app by herself.
And the most evident manifestation of that change was the development of a public app after graduation.
The app Nadeshiko released this time is a collection management app that utilizes Shopify's Collection API.
In addition to creating and modifying collections, it allows users to schedule the publication and unpublication of collections, making collection management easier.
For example, in an apparel store,
Seasonal campaigns
Projects featuring products of a specific color
Limited-time campaigns
may require collections to be published or unpublished at specific times.
This app is designed to simplify such operations.
What's important is that this app wasn't just created as a learning exercise.
The idea originated from actual client problems she experienced while providing Shopify operational support.
She then combined that with the "what's possible" discovered through researching newly released APIs, evolving it into an app idea.
In other words, after graduation,
Instead of just "building an app with given specifications,"
she started from identifying problems herself, researching technology, and considering what to build.
From API research to approval, she built the development process herself.
So, how did she actually create the public app?
Nadeshiko's process was as follows:
Research what can be done with new APIs
Investigate whether similar apps already exist
Brainstorm app ideas with AI
Consider UI and design
Create a requirements definition document
Implement with the help of AI
Test
Submit for review to the Shopify App Store
This includes the stages of actual product development, not just simply writing code.
What's particularly striking is that she first researched the API, then investigated competitors.
Instead of starting to code with "what I want to build" as the sole premise,
"What can I do with this API?"
"Does something similar already exist?"
She investigated these questions before conceptualizing the app.
Then, she organized the design and requirements before proceeding to implementation.
Considering that before the course, she was in a state of "not knowing what to do in what order," this is a significant change.
Shaping a public app in about a month.
The development period for this public app was about one month.
She spent about two hours a day on weekdays and a block of time on weekends to advance the development.
Of course, this isn't simply a case of "anyone can build a public app in a month."
Prior to this, she had built multiple apps at Tech Geek and had a foundation of experiencing the Shopify app development process.
On top of that, after completing the curriculum,
She researched herself, thought for herself, and advanced the development herself.
As a result of this practical application, she was able to release a public app in about a month.
The course itself was not the goal; rather, it was about using what she learned during the course to start building her own products after graduation.
This is one of the outcomes of taking the Tech Geek course.
The decision of "what not to build," which was not experienced in assignments.
While creating a public app, she also encountered new challenges.
Nadeshiko mentioned the selection and prioritization of features.
When thinking of an app on your own,
"I want this too."
"This would be good to have too."
It's easy to want to keep adding features.
However, to release it as a public app,
Is this necessary, or not?
She had to make that judgment herself.
In learning assignments, what needs to be built is generally predetermined.
On the other hand, there's no single right answer for your own product.
Who will use it?
How much should be included in the initial version?
Is that feature truly necessary?
In the process of creating a public app, Nadeshiko was not only focusing on technology but also advancing to the stage of considering what to build as a product.
Of course, there are still anxieties.
Even after releasing a public app, not all anxieties have disappeared.
Nadeshiko is still concerned about her level of experience.
Since she hasn't created many apps yet, she hasn't experienced every possible scenario.
She mentioned that she still lacks experience in how to deal with unexpected errors in particular.
When Morimoto asked,
"If an error occurs now, what would you do?"
Her answer was,
I'd ask AI (laughs).
It might sound a bit like a joke, but there's a difference here compared to before the course.
Instead of getting stuck when encountering something unknown, she tries to research and solve it using AI or documentation.
Lack of experience is not the same as being unable to do anything.
Even if unknown things arise, she can research them herself and move forward.
Even after reaching the point of creating a public app, her learning continues.
Shopify app development is becoming a weapon in her main job.
Nadeshiko doesn't consider the app she created this time as the ultimate goal.
Since she originally provided Shopify construction and operational support, she plans to utilize app development in her work going forward.
I think I'll be able to create apps that my clients, for whom I provide operational support, need.
I want to release them as public apps.
She said.
This is an important change when considering the value of learning Shopify app development.
Previously, she was in the position of looking for apps that could "fulfill this request."
Now, she has the option of "If needed, I'll build it myself."
It can be said that app development has become a new weapon added to her Shopify construction and operational support skills.
She already has several "next apps" she wants to build.
Furthermore, this public app isn't the end.
Nadeshiko already has several app ideas she wants to build.
I have several apps I want to build, so I want to create each one carefully.
At first, she didn't even understand the overall picture of Shopify app development.
Before graduation, she finally started to see the order of development.
After graduation, she built a public app herself.
And now, she has multiple apps she wants to build next.
This change might be the most important part of this interview.
Will taking Tech Geek alone be enough?
Finally, we also asked about those considering enrolling in Tech Geek in the future.
Nadeshiko listed the following as people for whom Tech Geek is suitable:
Programmers
Those who want to write programs themselves in the future
Those who are directing Shopify projects
Those who already have knowledge of Shopify
On the other hand, when asked,
"If someone knows nothing about Shopify or programming, will taking Tech Geek alone be enough?"
The answer was clear:
I don't think that's possible (laughs).
I think either knowing Shopify or being proactive is necessary.
Simply taking Tech Geek doesn't automatically enable you to create apps.
Nadeshiko herself might have reached the point of releasing a public app because she had Shopify knowledge and the ability to think and act independently.
People who have learned programming fundamentals acquire Shopify app development skills.
People like Nadeshiko, who have practical experience with Shopify, acquire Shopify app development skills.
Both entry points exist.
However, what they have in common is the continuous process of actively engaging, researching, and building.
"You can do it! Let's do it."
At the end of the interview, we asked this question:
"If you could say one thing to someone like your past self, who is hesitant about trying Shopify app development, what would it be?"
Nadeshiko's answer was very simple:
You can do it! Let's do it.
Before the course, Nadeshiko had no idea about the overall picture of Shopify app development.
From there, she started learning, built multiple apps, and began to understand the development process.
After graduation, she identified problems from her own work, researched new APIs, investigated competitors, considered requirements, implemented, and released a public app.
Of course, there are still things she doesn't know.
There are still errors she hasn't experienced.
Nevertheless, it's different from before the course.
From "I don't understand anything" to "Even if I encounter something I don't understand, I can research it myself and build."
This is the path that lies beyond learning Shopify app development at Tech Geek.
If you are currently wondering,
"I'm interested in Shopify app development, but can I really do it?"
Then I want to make Nadeshiko's words the final message:
You can do it! Let's do it.
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