Here’s how Dream11’s Director of Engineering strives to provide world-class user experiences

Intro:

Vinita Miranda, Director of Engineering, shares her inspiring journey from a Java Developer to a Mobile App expert at Dream11. From the get-go, Vinita has always been enthusiastic about major tournaments and the ever-evolving world of sports tech startups. At Dream11, her passion to provide world-class user experiences has been the driving force behind her success. Join us to hear her story and learn more about the company's diverse and unique culture.

Let’s go back to the very beginning. What inspired you to pursue mobile development?

When I started my journey in 2010, I never thought I’d become a mobile app developer. I was initially hired as a Java Developer but presented with the opportunity to develop apps for iOS. Back then, mobile development was relatively new but I gave it my best shot and kept learning. Over the years, I have seen smartphones evolve, and today, when I look back, it feels terrific to see how small challenges have motivated me to go above and beyond.

What motivated you to join the sports technology industry? And what exciting problems are you solving?

Back in the day, I’d find exciting apps on the App Store and replicate them. One such app that caught my eye was the World Cup app. I loved their UI and decided to join their team. During my tenure with my previous organization, I developed apps for cricket, football and F1. Right after this, I worked with a sports news startup. And finally, after a couple of sports and fintech startups, I joined Dream11. So, I’ve always enjoyed working with sports tech startups, mainly because of the work environment and, of course, the excitement during major tournaments. It’s also incredibly fulfilling to see thousands of users engage with apps developed by you. It’s another different level of satisfaction

Please share a moment when you felt like you’d hit a home run at Dream11.

In Frontend, we started with a small team of five engineers, but today, we have grown to more than a hundred engineers. Initially, there were a lot of manual processes to ship our app on the app store. But over the last few years, we have built automated tests, event standardization framework and performance tooling that helps us release new features seamlessly and maintain the quality of software shipped.

How do you and your team work towards building a world-class user experience for sports fans on the Dream11 app?

At Dream11, we foster a culture of experimentation. We develop features and roll them out to a select set of users to gather insights, which we use as foundation for further development. Using these valuable insights, we strive to enhance the features we develop and continually increase the performance of our app, all to provide our users with a seamless experience.

What makes Dream11 different from other technology startups?

At Dream11, our users take precedence above all else. We conduct user research sessions to engage with our active users, identify their current challenges, and understand features that would be beneficial to them. Addressing user concerns, even if it's for a single individual is the most crucial to us. In our stadium-like office environment, we embrace a sports-themed culture. Everything, from our meeting rooms to project names, is inspired by sports concepts. Our rules and processes are designed with the principles of various sports disciplines. Each year, we have sports events like IPL where everyone gives their best effort. We also host the Dream Sports Championship, where multiple teams compete against each other, further solidifying our sports theme.

What do you think about Mumbai becoming India’s next technology hub in India?

From a couple of years ago when there were very few technology startups to today, Mumbai becoming one of the top hubs for so many unicorns across domains is great to see. I am sure many more will continue to grow over the next few years. Of course, competition exists from established tech hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad, but Mumbai will always remain a preferred hub for engineers who love vada pav and cutting chai over filter coffee! :P :)